At the banquet, my husband’s subordinate, hoping to win his favor, brought out ninety-nine women who looked just like me. “Your wife can’t have children. But these women are all fertile. Have them give birth, and let her raise the kids.” Landon Cross pulled me into his arms, his tone firm. “Yvonne is the only one I love. I will never touch another woman.” After that, I threw countless resources his way and got blood on my hands, helping him to become a billionaire. Until the seventh year, a voluptuous, fair-skinned woman showed up at my door with seven children. I recognized this woman, Chloe. She was one of those ninety-nine women from years ago, the one who looked most like me. Right in front of me, she smugly lifted her shirt and nursed her youngest child. “Seven whole years, I’ve given birth to seven boys. Landon says the company’s stock price keeps rising because I gave birth to lucky babies who brought fortune to the company.” “How could a barren hen like you deserve to be his wife?” I lit a cigarette, looked her up and down, then sent her to the black market.

By the time Landon arrived at the black market, Chloe was already worth thirty million. Her highly fertile body had caught the eye of many wealthy merchants. “I heard women like her are the most fun.” “I’m going to buy her and make her a breeding machine. Maybe my company’s stock price will rise too because of lucky babies.” These words reached Landon’s ears. His expression grew darker and darker. I merely sneered mockingly. The Cross family business grew because of the Lowell family’s investment and my ruthless methods. How could it possibly be due to a few so-called “lucky babies”? Chloe hung from the auction stage, frightening. The moment she saw Landon, her delicate ankles kicked wildly in the air. “Honey, save me! I still have our baby in my belly.” Anxiety flooded Landon’s eyes. Under everyone’s watchful gaze, he knelt on one knee beside my feet, his voice trembling. “Yvonne, please let her go. Or at least wait until she gives birth, then you can deal with her however you want.” I looked at Landon as if looking at a stranger. He had only knelt twice in his life. The first time was at my father’s hospital bed. He knelt and swore he would never betray me. My father passed away with a smile, and I became Mrs. Cross. The second time was now. Mr. Landon Cross, who appeared so lofty in front of others, begging. “It’s a girl.” “We lost a daughter once. Just think of it as our daughter being reincarnated into Chloe’s belly.” I nearly went insane. “How dare Chloe even compare!” That daughter was a child I had longed for in the first year of our marriage, after going through countless treatments. But when I was three months pregnant, Landon was kidnapped by a rival gang. I didn’t have time to wait for my men to arrive. I went alone to rescue him. But no matter how skilled I was, I couldn’t fight off that many vicious men. Those three hours were living hell. Our daughter, when removed, was already formed enough to show human features. A butterfly knife flew from my sleeve, slashing across Landon’s cheek, leaving a bloody mark. Landon seemed not to feel the pain. He shook his head helplessly. “If you’ve let off steam, stop making a scene. You’re five years older than me, why are you still acting like a child?” Seeing Landon injured, Chloe screamed frantically, ignoring that she was still hanging there. “Yvonne Lowell! My husband finds it disgusting every time he touches you…” Landon’s eyes flashed with warning, and his subordinate immediately stepped onto the auction stage and gagged Chloe. A metallic sweetness rose in my throat. My voice turned hoarse. “So, you find me disgusting.” I unconsciously touched my lower abdomen. My second child with Landon was still sleeping peacefully inside. Landon desperately tried to explain, but I felt so tired. I waved my hand. “This farce should end.” The auctioneer’s gavel fell. The wealthy merchant who won Chloe trembled with his entire body of fat as he carried her into a room. Landon’s eyes turned bloodshot. He pulled out a handgun. Bang. Bang. Bang. Three bullet holes appeared at my feet. “I’ve said everything nicely, yet you’re still so heartless. I’ll say this one last time-let Chloe go, or the next shot won’t be aimed at the floor.” I looked at him calmly, not even my eyelashes trembling. “Mr. Cross, be my guest.” If Landon dared to shoot, he would be riddled with bullets on Lowell family territory. He glared at me fiercely, then like an enraged lion, led his men charging toward Chloe. Moments later, the wealthy merchant, covered in bullet wounds, was thrown out. As Landon carried Chloe past me, his gaze was icy cold. “Thank God! Chloe’s daughter is fine. Otherwise, I wouldn’t let you off so easily.” Watching his retreating figure, I called the hospital. This child had congenital abnormalities. The doctor said there was a risk of miscarriage at any time. Now it seemed there was no need to force myself to keep it. How could such a man deserve to be a father?

I had my lawyer draft a divorce agreement. Landon would leave the marriage with nothing. Not a penny of what he’d earned over these years. I took the divorce agreement to Landon’s office. On the way, I received a call from my assistant. “Mrs. Cross, something terrible has happened! Mr. Cross brought a construction team. He says he’s going to dig up your first child’s body. He wants a priest to perform an exorcism.” After hanging up, my hands were shaking. Once, Landon and I built a cemetery for our deceased daughter, Nina, wanting to give her a sheltered home underground. Now we had become a bitter couple, but why should adult grudges involve innocent children? When I arrived at the cemetery, Nina’s coffin had been carelessly thrown on the ground. Several priests stood around, praying. I spotted Landon immediately. He was holding Chloe, tucking her messy hair behind her ear. At first glance, they looked exactly like Landon and me seven years ago. Suppressing the rage in my heart, I clutched Nina’s coffin to my chest. The priests suddenly stopped chanting and pointed at the coffin in my arms, shouting sternly. “It’s this evil spirit that has prevented Mrs. Cross from having children for years!” Chloe nestled in Landon’s arms, adding fuel to the fire. “The master is right!” Landon frowned but didn’t stop them. The priest then splashed holy water at me, instantly soaking my white clothes. But fortunately, I protected Nina’s coffin well. It didn’t get wet. I wiped the water droplets from my face and looked at Landon. He avoided my gaze, saying only in a deep voice, “I’m doing this for your own good.” I found everything absurdly ridiculous. I pulled out the divorce agreement from my document bag and threw it directly in Landon’s face. “Sign it.” Landon looked as if he’d heard something unbelievable. “You’re actually willing to divorce me? We once had a child together. We’re already inseparable. “When Chloe’s daughter is born, I’ll have her call you mom, to make up for the child we lost…” I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, they were cold and desolate. “Landon, of all your mistakes, you should never have kept using our child to provoke me.” I waved my hand. The Lowell family bodyguards behind me immediately understood. They restrained Chloe. Those burly men kicked her belly with every strike. Chloe screamed. Soon blood appeared. Landon’s eyes turned blood-red. He snatched the divorce agreement, signed his name without even looking, scrawling rapidly. “Let her go!” I clapped my hands together and laughed gleefully. I wondered if this penniless man could afford to raise his seven children after the divorce.

Landon took Chloe to the hospital. When I ran into Landon, he had just come from the direction of the operating room, his eyes bloodshot. “What are you doing here? Did you come to see if Chloe is dead? Or to watch me suffer?” I was here for a surgical checkup. I didn’t bother arguing with him and tried to walk around him. He grabbed my wrist, his grip so strong it nearly crushed my bones. “Chloe’s baby couldn’t be saved. It was a fully formed female fetus. You killed my daughter for the second time!” “Let go.” My stomach churned violently. The child in my belly, perhaps knowing its birth wasn’t welcomed, kept making me sick. Seeing me like this, Landon’s eyes reddened. “You hate my touch that much? I haven’t even said you disgust me, so why do you find me revolting?” Sharp, dull pain riddled my heart. Landon really knew me-knew exactly how to stab me where it hurt most. At that moment, a doctor approached with a report. “Mr. Cross, here are the genetic test results…” Landon rudely interrupted him. He pointed sharply at my face and loudly proclaimed to the doctor and everyone around. “No need to confirm! This venomous woman can’t have children herself, so she had someone kick Chloe’s four-month-old daughter to death! She’s a murderer!” The surrounding crowd instantly erupted. “Can’t have her own, so she won’t let others have theirs either.” “No wonder her husband doesn’t want her…” A flash of satisfaction crossed Landon’s eyes. He lowered his voice, his tone cruel. “Yvonne, kneel down in front of everyone and apologize to Chloe. Otherwise, I don’t mind making things even more humiliating for you.” Landon pulled out his phone and showed me a video. These videos-Landon had kept them all along. Those terrible, disgusting memories flooded back into my mind. I crouched down, hugging myself tightly, my whole body convulsing. “Yvonne, Yvonne, don’t scare me…” My body felt light. I fell into a familiar embrace. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Landon sitting by my hospital bed, looking somewhat exhausted. Seeing me awake, his eyes reddened. “You fool, I just wanted you to soften up a bit. How could I really do that…” I smiled bleakly, finding it all meaningless. “Landon, we’ve loved each other for so many years, yet we’ve become bitter enemies. You deserve full credit for that.” The hospital room door opened. Chloe walked in holding a stuffed rabbit, her eyes red. “Honey, I just had a dream. I dreamed our daughter came to me, asking why I didn’t protect her…” Landon stood up, put his arm around Chloe’s waist, and walked out while comforting her. As he left, he paused. “That divorce agreement-I signed it in a moment of panic. I’m treating it as invalid. “What happened earlier was my fault, but I also hope you can apologize to Chloe for hurting her child.” Chloe curled up in Landon’s arms, smirking at me provocatively. I grabbed a vase and hurled it at Chloe. Landon’s reaction was almost instinctive. He shielded Chloe completely in his arms. Landon turned back slowly, looking at me with eyes full of ice. “Yvonne, I’m very disappointed in you.” The perfect couple left hand in hand. I lay in the hospital bed, looking at Chloe’s genetic test report, almost laughing out loud.

Before news of the divorce spread, Landon couldn’t wait to parade around with Chloe. We met again at an auction. I wanted to buy a jade bracelet. “Thirty million.” I raised my paddle. The price was already very high, and competitors in the room fell silent. From the VIP section across from me, Chloe whispered in Landon’s ear. When her eyes glanced toward me, they carried undisguised provocation. Landon’s lips curved into a smile. He gestured to the auctioneer. The entire venue instantly erupted. “Mr. Cross bids the highest price!” This meant that no matter how much I bid, he would outbid me, just to make his beauty smile. In the end, he purchased the jade bracelet at an absurd sky-high price and personally placed it on Chloe’s wrist. Chloe stroked the jade on her wrist, lifted her chin at me, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Honey, this jade really suits me. Some people-when they’re old, they’re just old. Nothing looks good on them.” Landon beside her not only didn’t stop her but indulgently tightened his arm around her waist. Chloe, arm in arm with him, left like a victor. She handed me a red invitation, her smile glaring. “Miss Lowell, in three days, Landon and I are getting married. You absolutely must come witness our happiness!” I accepted it, my fingers casually flicking the invitation. “Sure.” Turning around, I made a phone call, my tone calm. “You won that bet from seven years ago. When my marital status changes to ‘widowed,’ come marry me.” I had wanted to part ways amicably with Landon, but he kept indulging Chloe’s provocations. He seemed to have forgotten-I always seek revenge. I never swallow my anger. Three days later, I arrived at the wedding as promised. The wedding was extremely lavish. Chloe’s seven children served as flower children. The venue was packed with guests, but the atmosphere was strange. Landon remarrying after betraying his wife-these social elites didn’t want to wade into this mess. It was only because I had my assistant send out invitations widely that they felt compelled to come. The moment I stepped into the banquet hall, the noise stopped abruptly. All eyes focused on me. Seeing me, Chloe’s eyes flashed with cold light. Then she clapped her hands. “Let’s show everyone something interesting!” The large screen at the wedding lit up. It was a video of me being abused by Landon’s rival gang years ago. My body was covered in blood and filthy fluids, like a broken doll. In the video, I screamed shrilly, “Kill me! Kill me!” Those men cackled with laughter. “Mr. Cross didn’t tell us to kill you. He wants to keep you alive and record this video. That’s the only way he can really control you.” Countless midnight dreams, I would dream of this scene. Back then, I didn’t believe those events were orchestrated by Landon. I thought my memory was confused. But that day in the hospital, I saw on Landon’s phone the video that should have been destroyed. Only then did I realize with horror that the man I had loved for so many years had always been a demon. When the video ended, the entire venue fell deathly silent. Only Landon frantically questioned Chloe. “Who gave you permission to show this video? Yvonne will have a breakdown!” For the first time, Chloe saw such a terrifying Landon. She shook her head in panic. “I didn’t know…” Under everyone’s gaze, I walked step by step toward Landon. I tossed him a wooden box and sneered mockingly. “Congratulations on your wedding, Mr. Cross.” Landon’s face turned deathly pale. After seeing what was in the box, his eyes nearly split with rage.

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When Ethan’s family went bankrupt, I stayed with him in that basement apartment, working three jobs a day to pay off his debts. When he made his comeback, he promised during his proposal to give me a real home. In our third year of marriage, I accidentally saw the deed to our house. The owner’s name listed was his first love. He explained with reddened eyes, “This is what I owe her.” I nodded and pushed toward him photos of the mountain of debt collection notices that had once covered our entire table in that cramped basement. “You’ve repaid what you owed her with the house. So what about what you owe me?” I gently pushed the property deed toward Ethan. “Owner: Lauren.” Ethan’s face instantly turned deathly pale. He instinctively moved to take the paper back, his hand freezing mid-air. “Sophia, let me explain…” His voice was hoarse, his eyes quickly reddening. An expression I knew all too well. Whenever he felt he’d wronged me, he would show this innocent, vulnerable look. Once upon a time, I fell for it every single time. “Go ahead. I’m listening.” I picked up my glass of water, my tone eerily calm. He looked at me, a flash of panic crossing his eyes, as if my composure had caught him off guard. “Lauren… she’s not doing well.” He began with difficulty. “Back then, my parents opposed us and forcibly tore us apart. Because of that, she developed severe depression, had to take a long break from school. It completely destroyed her.” “So this house is my way of compensating her. Sophia, this is what I owe her.” I nodded, indicating I understood. “And what about what you owe me?” Ethan froze, as if he hadn’t understood my words. I stopped looking at him and pulled out my phone, finding a photo I’d treasured for years. It was taken in the basement apartment we’d rented-barely a hundred square feet. On a shabby folding table, debt collection notices were piled so thick you could barely see the surface. In the corner of the photo, you could still see his face, worn down by despair. “You’ve repaid what you owed her with the house. So what about what you owe me?” He looked down at the photo, his body trembling violently. The image seemed to remind him of those memories-of struggling together through unbearable hardship. To pay off the astronomical debts the family owed, I’d quit my stable job and worked three jobs a day. For those three years, I slept less than four hours a night. Once, when I had a high fever, I didn’t go to the hospital to save money. I just buried myself under blankets and nearly developed pneumonia. Ethan had held me and cried like a child, swearing he would give me a real home and never let me suffer again. He’d kept his promise. He made his comeback and became a rising star in the business world. He also gave me a home-a home with someone else’s name on it. “Sophia.” Ethan raised his head, guilt practically overflowing from his eyes. “I know. The person I’ve wronged the most is you. But Lauren and I are over. The one I love is you. You’re the only wife I’ll ever have.” “I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, okay?” He reached out to take my hand, his tone almost pleading. “Lauren has already lost me. She can’t be left with nothing. This house-consider it my way of putting our past to rest.” I gently avoided his hand. “Alright. I understand.” Seeing I wasn’t making a scene, his expression visibly relaxed. He thought I’d accepted this absurd explanation. Meanwhile, I took out my phone and silently messaged my lawyer, asking her to draft divorce papers as soon as possible.

Ethan paused, then spoke hesitantly. “Sophia, can I discuss something with you?” “It’s just… Lauren had some conflict with her landlord and got kicked out. She can’t find a suitable place right away.” “So, could we let her stay at our place for a while? Just as a temporary arrangement.” I almost laughed from sheer rage. Was Ethan’s brain damaged? “Do you think that’s appropriate?” I asked coldly. “What’s inappropriate about it?” His voice immediately carried a trace of impatience. “Sophia, why have you become so petty? I told you, Lauren and I are in the past. You’re the only one in my heart.” “She’s a woman all alone, helpless out there. What’s wrong with us helping her?” “Don’t worry, I would never betray you!” He spoke with such conviction. But he’d already betrayed me. The moment he decided to give our home to another woman. “Ethan,” I said each word deliberately, “in your eyes, am I some kind of worthless person?” “Do you think that because I suffered through all that hardship with you, I deserve to be trampled on like this?” He fell silent. After a long pause, he said wearily, “Sophia, don’t overthink it. I’m just helping a friend. This is settled. I’m going to pick her up now.” With that, he walked straight out the door. Hearing the door slam shut, I closed my eyes and forced back the stinging sensation rising to them. Shedding tears over a worthless man wasn’t worth it. Just then, Ethan’s mother Grace called me. “Sophia dear, it’s the weekend tomorrow. Come back to the estate with Ethan for dinner.” Grace had always been good to me. I couldn’t refuse, so I agreed. “Alright, Grace.” After hanging up, I looked out at the darkening sky, my heart cold as ice. The next day, I went alone to the appointment. The family estate had been mortgaged and auctioned off when the family went bankrupt. Later, when Ethan made his comeback, he wanted to buy back the house that held his childhood memories, but the new owner refused no matter what. It was me who’d showed up at the door with gifts again and again, spending three full months wearing down that eccentric retired professor. Only then did he agree to sell the house back to us at the original price. When Grace saw only me arrive, she frowned. “Where’s Ethan? Busy with his nonsense again?” “The company had a last-minute meeting. He’ll be here later.” I made an excuse for him. Grace took my hand and led me to sit on the sofa, sighing. “Sophia, don’t cover for him. I’ve heard about what he’s been doing lately.” My heart skipped a beat. “Is he getting tangled up with that Lauren woman again?” Grace’s eyes sharpened. “I warned him long ago that woman has ulterior motives and isn’t decent. I told him to stay away!” I lowered my head without speaking. Grace patted the back of my hand, her tone full of sympathy. “Dear child, I’m sorry you’ve had to suffer. Don’t worry-the only daughter-in-law the family recognizes is you. If he dares do anything to betray you, I’ll be the first to break his legs!” Warmth spread through my chest as I forced a smile. “It’s fine.” Just then, Ethan arrived. When he saw me, his expression darkened. He was clearly displeased that I’d arrived before him. “Mom, did you call Sophia back here to complain about me again?” His opening words were loaded with hostility. Grace was so angry she grabbed a throw pillow and hurled it at him. “You ungrateful wretch, what are you saying? Is Sophia that kind of person? If she’d said even half a bad word about you to me, I wouldn’t have let you through that door today!” “Then what is it?” Ethan impatiently loosened his tie. “If she didn’t say anything, how would you know about Lauren?” “Do I need her to tell me?” Grace laughed coldly. “You arranged for that woman to work at your company as your personal assistant. You practically want the whole company to know about your little affair. Do you think I’m blind?” Bitterness welled up inside me.

The day he left the house, he’d wasted no time bringing Lauren home to live with us. After that, he arranged for her to join the company, keeping her right by his side. Afterward, he’d offered a hollow explanation: “Lauren just joined the company. She’ll adapt faster if I show her the ropes.” Ethan was left speechless, his face cycling between shades of red and white. He took a deep breath, clearly too lazy to argue further, and stated bluntly: “Lauren’s waiting outside. I’m having her bring in an urgent document.” Without waiting for our response, he turned and opened the door. Lauren timidly followed him inside, wearing a pure white dress that made her look pitifully fragile. When she saw Grace, she reacted like a startled deer, instinctively hiding behind Ethan. Ethan immediately shielded Lauren, addressing his mother. “She’s just here to deliver documents. Don’t look at her like you’re going to eat her alive. You’ll frighten her.” I looked at Ethan like he was an idiot. Lauren spoke up from the side, her voice barely above a whisper. “Mr. Parker, this is a family dinner. It’s not… appropriate for me to be here. I should go.” Yet her feet seemed rooted to the spot. She didn’t move an inch. “You’re tired from delivering documents. Eat before you leave.” Without room for argument, Ethan seated her in the empty chair beside him-the seat that had been meant for me. The atmosphere at the dinner table plummeted to freezing. Grace watched Lauren’s delicate, helpless act with cold eyes, a mocking smile curling her lips. “Lauren, you don’t need to put on a show for me.” Grace set down her fork, speaking without mercy. “I can see right through your little schemes.” Lauren’s face turned deathly pale, tears pooling in her eyes. “Ma’am, I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “You don’t know?” Grace laughed lightly. “Years ago, when you and Ethan were dating in college, the first time he brought you home-the moment you walked in, your eyes never left our décor.” “When you heard about our company’s scale, the greed and calculation in your eyes might as well have been written on your face!” Lauren’s entire body trembled as if she were holding back something. Ethan suddenly slammed the table and shot to his feet. “Enough!” He glared at his mother. “It’s been so many years, and you’re still like this! You’re not doing this for my sake. You just want to control my life!” “Back then, you forced us to break up, and it caused Lauren to develop depression. Don’t you feel even a shred of guilt? Now that she’s finally recovering, why do you still have to hurt her with such vicious words?” “I’m controlling you?” Grace trembled with rage. “If I really wanted to control you, I wouldn’t have let Sophia suffer alongside you when you went bankrupt! You ungrateful creature, have you forgotten who crawled out of hell with you?” “I haven’t forgotten!” Ethan shouted hoarsely, his eyes red. “I’ll spend my entire life repaying Sophia’s kindness! But that doesn’t conflict with me compensating Lauren!” With that, he grabbed the still-trembling Lauren and stormed toward the door without looking back. “Where are you going?” Grace called after him. “I can’t stay in this house anymore!” He pulled Lauren along and left in a fury. From beginning to end, he never once looked at me, never once thought to take me with him. “Sophia, don’t mind him. Let him leave!” Grace’s chest heaved with anger. She took my hand. “Stay here tonight. I’ll keep you company.” I shook my head and stood up. “I should go back.” This was between Ethan and me. I couldn’t let her completely break with her son because of me. In the courtyard, Ethan’s car hadn’t left yet. He leaned against the car door, impatiently checking his phone. Clearly, he was waiting for me. So he did remember-he’d left me behind. I walked slowly toward him. The streetlight stretched my shadow long, making it look lonely and desolate. Hearing footsteps, Ethan looked up. When he saw it was me, the impatience on his face deepened. “What took you so long? Let’s go.” He opened the car door and got into the driver’s seat. I walked to the passenger side. Before I could open the door, I heard Lauren’s pained whimper from the back seat.

“Ethan… I feel awful… I can’t breathe…” Ethan’s expression changed instantly as he leaned back to check on her. “Lauren, what’s wrong?” “I… I think… I’m having an allergic reaction to peanuts…” Lauren’s voice came in broken fragments, filled with pain. Ethan’s gaze immediately turned to me, full of accusation. “Sophia! You knew Lauren’s allergic to peanuts. Why didn’t you tell the cook ahead of time?” “I didn’t know she was allergic to peanuts.” I answered coldly. “You didn’t know?” Ethan’s volume spiked sharply. “You did it on purpose! You just can’t stand her, can you?” I was so furious I laughed. “So? What do you want? Should I take responsibility for her allergy?” “I’ll let it go this time!” Ethan said through gritted teeth. “But she’s going to be living with us from now on. Be more careful when you cook! Don’t let this happen again!” He expected me to serve her from now on? I could hardly believe my ears. Just how shameless could this man be? Before I could respond, Lauren let out another pained moan from the back seat. Ethan’s rationality shattered instantly. “No, we need to get to the hospital now!” He started the car and said urgently, “Get out!” I stood there without moving, staring at him. “You want me to walk back?” This was a wealthy suburb with extremely limited public transportation. Getting a ride at night was nearly impossible. Ethan irritably pounded the steering wheel. “The hospital and home are in opposite directions! I don’t have time to drop you off. Lauren’s condition is more urgent! Figure out your own way back. Sorry for the inconvenience!” With that, he floored the gas pedal, leaving me choking on exhaust fumes. I stood alone on the deserted road as the night wind swept past, bringing bone-chilling cold. He made it sound so easy. “Sorry for the inconvenience.” Yes, I’d truly been inconvenienced these past few years. I pulled out my phone and called his personal driver, Richard. “Richard, could you please come pick me up?” Ten minutes later, Richard’s car arrived. Seeing only me, he looked surprised. “Where’s Mr. Parker? Didn’t you both go to dinner together?” I opened the door and got in, saying flatly, “Something urgent came up at the company. He left first.” But inside, I was thinking coldly: He’s busy taking care of his little mistress. Shortly after I got home, my phone chimed with a message notification. I opened it, and my pupils constricted sharply. In a hotel bed, Ethan lay shirtless, sleeping soundly. His tanned skin was covered with suggestive red marks, extending from his neck down to his chest. Below the photo was a provocative message: “Sophia, Ethan’s not coming home tonight. He said only at my place can he truly relax.” So the whole “allergic reaction hospital visit” was just an excuse for them to check into a hotel. Ethan, you really are something. Expressionless, I took screenshots of the photo and message and sent them directly to my lawyer. Then I forwarded them to Ethan with the caption: “Giving her the house wasn’t enough? You had to give yourself to her too?” After receiving my message, Ethan rushed home in a panic, his face still showing traces of guilt from being caught. “Sophia, let me explain. It’s not what you think. Lauren and I…” “Shut up.” I coldly cut him off, unwilling to hear those tired old excuses. He tried to reach for my hand. “Come on, stop being upset. There’s really nothing between us.” I yanked my hand away in disgust, turned, and retrieved a thick stack of debt collection notices from the study. “Ethan, look at these!” I pointed at the notices, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. “Do you remember? When your family went bankrupt, I was the one who stayed with you in that basement, the one who survived on one meal a day with you!” “To pay off those millions in debt, I pawned all my jewelry. I worked in an office building during the day and waited tables at restaurants at night!” “When you were drunk and collapsed on the street, I was the one who carried you back. When your former friends humiliated you, I was the one who stood up for you and fought them! Where was Lauren then?!” “And now? You’ve made your comeback. You’re the distinguished Mr. Parker again. You get the beauty, and I become the wife who’s outlived her usefulness?” By the end, I was practically sobbing as I shouted, hurling the notices directly at his face. “What are you going to do to repay what you owe me?!”

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On Valentine’s Day, a hotel caught fire and called for emergency rescue. I went to fight the fire, only to find my wife with another man. Both of them were completely naked, wrapped only in a bedsheet. The man asked Lucy: “Aren’t you afraid Ethan will find out? I heard he’s a firefighter.” Lucy laughed coquettishly. “He’s away for training. He won’t find out. I haven’t had enough fun with you yet. Let’s switch hotels.” The next second, my phone received a message from Lucy: “Honey, I’m at the salon getting a hair treatment. I’ll be home later.” At that moment, I finally let her go. As soon as I got back to the station, my wife Lucy called. “Honey, why didn’t you reply to me?” I used to reply to Lucy’s messages instantly. Now that I hadn’t replied, she called directly. Thinking about how I’d call her and she’d only answer when she felt like it, or just ignore it—I’d been too much of a doormat. “I was busy,” I replied flatly. On the other end, I could faintly hear a small voice: “Your husband doesn’t suspect you, does he?” Even though Lucy covered the phone, I could still make out her voice: “Impossible. I’m the one he trusts most.” The bed creaked and squeaked. She couldn’t suppress the soft gasps escaping her lips: “Slower.” I felt disgusted. “Is there anything else?” Lucy tried hard to steady her voice: “I made your favorite pizza. It’s in the fridge. Remember to microwave it when you eat.” “Oh, and since your stomach isn’t great, don’t drink anything cold. I left medicine in the drawer for you…” The assault on the other end intensified. Lucy was practically trembling as she said, “Ethan, wait for me to come home,” before the phone fell to the ground. “Aren’t you afraid Ethan will find out?” Lucy’s voice turned cold: “You and I are just having fun. If you dare tell Ethan, we’re done immediately!” I had no interest in hearing about Lucy’s love for me. After hanging up, I went home. In our six years of marriage, I’d given her enough respect and love. Looking at our wedding photo hanging prominently in the living room, I only felt mockery. When Lucy got home, I was taking down the wedding photo. The flush on her cheeks hadn’t faded. Seeing me remove the photo, she only paused briefly. Then she said naturally, “I’ve been thinking this photo looks outdated too. We should keep up with the times.” She came over and took my arm, her eyes bright: “Ryan just got me a discount package at his studio. Let’s go take new photos together.” Without giving me a chance to refuse, she went straight to the kitchen to heat up food for me. In the past, whenever I heard Ryan’s name, I’d always ask questions. But this time I said nothing, which made Lucy uncomfortable instead. “Aren’t you going to ask why he gave me a discount package?” I paused writing my report. Without looking up, I said, “You two have known each other since college. I’ve helped him so much—it’s normal for him to give you a discount.” This was the excuse Lucy used to brush me off before. Now that I said it, she actually thought I hadn’t discovered anything and breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh right, Ethan, go get your medicine from the drawer. You need to take it on time.” I had no reason to neglect my health. Just then, her phone screen lit up on the table. “Baby, is he satisfied with the food and medicine I prepared for him?” My heart turned cold. So Lucy’s thoughtfulness had all been an act. Before I could look away, Lucy rushed over frantically. “Ethan, we agreed to trust each other and not look at each other’s phones!” The pot she was holding pressed against my skin without hesitation, instantly burning it red. I grunted. Just as I was about to turn and get some ointment, Lucy beat me to it and offered to take me to the hospital. “I heard there’s a doctor at the hospital who’s really good at treating burns.” I looked at Lucy, but she avoided my eyes. I clenched my fist, not exposing her lie: “Alright, let’s go check it out.”

At the hospital, Lucy stayed with me the whole time, running around getting my registration done. Only before the medication was applied did she find an excuse to leave. I had the nurse wait a moment, then followed her all the way to a consultation room door. “How does it feel sneaking around with me? You just love the thrill, don’t you?” So that’s why Lucy suddenly offered to bring me to the hospital—because Ryan was here. I turned to leave, but Lucy’s next words made my heart skip. “The medicine I gave him doesn’t have side effects, right? I want to get pregnant with your baby.” “After all, my heart belongs to him, but my body belongs to you.” “But the medicine can’t hurt Ethan.” So the stomach medicine I’d been taking was actually birth control pills? With trembling hands, I took out the pill bottle from my pocket. Only under the light could I see the switched label. Pressing my lips together, I slowly peeled away the outer label. The side effects written inside made my heart lurch! I walked back to the treatment room in a daze. After a long wait, a doctor finally came to change my dressing. When I looked up, it was Ryan! Lucy stood beside him: “Ethan, Ryan is so skilled at changing dressings. I had such a hard time getting him to come treat you.” Really? Should I thank him? I forced a bitter smile, unable to say anything. Lucy pulled on Ryan’s sleeve, urging him to change my dressing. Throughout the whole process, they were the ones who acted like a married couple. Ryan’s movements were rough and forceful. My perfectly fine wound was torn open. I frowned and tried to pull my hand back, but Ryan used the opportunity to fall to the ground. Lucy’s brow furrowed. Without mercy, she struck my arm hard: “Ethan, I really thought you and Ryan had made peace.” “I didn’t expect you to pull such a dirty trick!” Then, ignoring the blood flowing down my arm, she rushed to help Ryan up. Her eyes showed heartache. She used to only feel sorry for me—I don’t know when that changed to Ryan. Watching her bustle around, practically wanting to feel the pain for him, I smiled sarcastically: “Lucy, let’s get divorced.” Only then did she notice my bleeding. Her expression went blank. “I’m sorry, honey. I was too hasty and overlooked you.” Then she said righteously, “Besides, weren’t you the one who pushed Ryan?!” I laughed in anger, pointing at the camera overhead: “Lucy, say it again—did I push him, or did he fall on his own?” Ryan’s tears welled up in his eyes, falling at just the right moment when Lucy looked at him: “Lucy, you don’t need to say anything. Ethan didn’t push me.” “It was… it was me who couldn’t stand steady and fell.” With his crying, Lucy, who had been hesitant, instantly turned cold. “Ethan, have you made enough of a scene?” “I just brought you here to treat a burn. Ryan is so busy he can’t even eat, yet he came to help you, and this is how you treat him? How you treat me?” Seeing Lucy so furious, desperately wanting to clear Ryan’s name and fight for his justice—so different from how she once promised to be good to me forever. I calmly pointed at her clothes: “Lucy, do you really think I’m stupid?” I smiled coldly: “Too busy to even eat, but had time to take off your clothes?”

I thought Lucy would feel ashamed, but instead she spoke righteously: “What’s wrong with me having Ryan examine me?” “Ethan, don’t assume I’m having an affair with Ryan just because you see us together.” “There’s nothing between Ryan and me. If there could be something with him, would it be your turn?!” If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have been fooled by Lucy’s performance. In the past, it was precisely because Lucy always spoke about Ryan so openly that I trusted her consistently for six years. People who didn’t know the truth were already starting to criticize me along with Lucy. “This wife so kindly ran around getting him registered and treated, but he turned around and accused his own wife of having an affair with a nurse. What a sin.” “Yeah, how does someone like that deserve such a good wife? I say they should just divorce.” I took a deep breath, not wanting to argue with Lucy in public. But she thought I felt guilty, and with so many people supporting her, she became smug. Yet she still had to put on a show in front of everyone: “Alright, Ethan, I know you’re jealous because you still love me.” “How about this—if you just apologize to Ryan, I’ll take you to another nurse to get your dressing changed. How’s that?” Lucy spoke to me as if bestowing a favor. She always relied on my love for her, pushing my boundaries further and further. But she didn’t know my boundaries had limits too. I used to back down, but not this time. Even Ryan put on a magnanimous act, waving his hand at me: “That’s right, Ethan, just apologize to me.” Ryan’s gaze was challenging as he waved his hand, and I noticed his ring and bracelet. The ring was identical to mine, except it was engraved with his and Lucy’s initials instead. And the bracelet… I pointed at the bracelet on Ryan’s wrist in disbelief, asking Lucy with a trembling voice, “Is that the bracelet I gave you?” The safety bracelet was left to me by my family. It had accompanied me through several fires, keeping me safe each time. Later, when Lucy was hospitalized and the doctor said she wouldn’t make it, I emptied all my savings to save her. I even gave her the safety bracelet, hoping it would keep her safe. But I never imagined that one day, this bracelet would end up on Ryan’s wrist. Lucy knew what the bracelet meant to me. She had once promised me that even if the sky fell, she would never lose it. She even said that no matter where she went or what she did, she would always wear it. But now… Lucy froze for a moment, then reacted quickly: “That’s because Ryan is a nurse. The bracelet is more useful for him.” “You’ve been fine so many times without it. Giving it to someone who needs it more fulfills its purpose.” Her eyes darted away: “Ethan, you understand, don’t you?” I didn’t answer. Instead, I asked her, “Where’s the cloak you were wearing?” I quietly watched her momentary panic, then pointed to her neck, her arms, her thighs. All marks that Ryan had left on her body. “Lucy, we’re done. Let’s divorce.” I dropped that sentence and turned to leave the room. I found a new doctor to change my dressing myself, then reported to my supervisor to confirm my transfer location early. I thought things with Lucy would end quickly, but I didn’t expect her to show up at my workplace.

“Ethan, it’s not my place to say, but you and Lucy have been together for so long.” “Now you’re not going home just because of an argument—isn’t that inappropriate?” My supervisor held the form, saying in a tone that brooked no refusal: “Lucy was so anxious she came to the station to file a report. Here’s what we’ll do—I’m authorizing you to go take new wedding photos with her.” When I arrived at the photography studio, Lucy had been waiting for me for a while. “Ethan, listen to me. That day was all a misunderstanding. Those marks were from Ryan giving me therapy.” As soon as she saw me, she couldn’t wait to explain. I just nodded faintly, not even looking at her. Like a puppet on strings, I did whatever the photographer told me to do. Finally, the photographer couldn’t help it and poked his head out: “The groom needs to lean closer to the bride. You’re taking your seventh-anniversary photos—why are you still so stiff?” When Lucy and I took our first wedding photos, we only had eyes for each other. But now, everything had changed. During the break, Lucy secretly slipped me a box: “Ethan, open it and look.” I didn’t need to open it to know—this was a watch I’d once said I liked. At the time, Lucy always made excuses about not having time to buy it for me. Eventually, I saw it on Ryan’s wrist. Now she was finally giving it to me, but I no longer liked it. I looked away: “Lucy, after we finish shooting, let’s go get divorced.” My tone was flat, but Lucy exploded. “Ethan, when will you stop?! I even bought you your favorite watch and you’re still talking about divorce!” So she knew I loved this model. Before I could respond, an emergency call from the station came through. “Chemical plant explosion. Emergency assistance needed!” I immediately stopped worrying about Lucy and prepared to leave. Just as I was about to rush out the door, Lucy suddenly grabbed my hand. Her grip tightened. For once, she seemed reluctant to let me go. Seeing my impatient frown, her grip loosened. But in the end, she held on tight: “Ethan, come back safe.” Come back safe. This was what Lucy used to say to me every time I went on a mission. But it had been so long since she’d said it to me. Hearing it suddenly, I felt momentarily dazed. But quickly, I adjusted my mindset and prepared to depart. [Chemical plant about to explode! Will the dangerous rescue succeed?!] The headlines on her phone grew bigger and bigger, gripping Lucy’s heart tightly. Her eyes looked somewhat vacant. She suddenly felt that letting Ethan go this time was the wrong decision. Even Ryan’s call seemed insignificant at this moment, but eventually she still answered. “Lucy, if Ethan disappeared, would you come love me?” Ryan was breathing heavily on the other end, as if he’d just been running. Lucy didn’t catch on immediately: “What?” Ryan repeated: “I said, if Ethan dies, can you marry me?” “I just set fire to the chemical plant. Ethan will definitely go rescue people, so then…” A thunderous boom sounded in the distance. Thick black smoke billowed upward. The blood-red light on the horizon was like an extremely dangerous signal, shining into her eyes and gripping her heart hard. She suddenly let out a terrible scream, tears quickly flooding her eyes: “Ethan!”

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I’ve hated my stepbrother Blaise for years. Ever since our parents forced us into the same family, he’s been the one person I can’t stand—and the one I can’t stop watching. Every glance between us feels like a challenge, every word like a spark waiting to ignite. At a crowded party, my friends suggest a reckless game: two teams, masks hiding our identities, chasing each other through the house. No rules. No witnesses. Behind a mask, anything can happen. And if I find Blaise first, maybe I’ll finally give in to the violence I’ve imagined for years. Because the truth is, my obsession with him has never been simple hate. Caleb’s POV The house is crowded. Music blasts through the speakers from every corner of the room, people already drunk and dancing to the heavy bass. Allie laces her fingers in mine as I lead us through the sweaty bodies until I reach Samson and Keith, my friends from college. They greet me, then nod to my girl. It’s more than what they’ve done over the last twelve months. They aren’t fans of her since she cheated on me last year, always telling me to ditch her. I didn’t care enough to break up with her. Their eyes lift to the person behind me, and I sigh. “Allie asked Mia to come. Fuckface decided he had to join because he can’t go one hour without being stuck to her side.” Blaise ignores me and goes straight to my friends. Samson leans forward and shakes Blaise’s hand. “Been a while, man. How’s life treating you?” Blaise sits down and brings Mia onto his knee. They get into a discussion about football and how my stepbrother wants to do tryouts, and I take Allie to get drinks to try to forget the asshole is here. For a few hours, I steer clear of him. I’ve probably done too many shots and smoked far too much weed. I navigate my way from the kitchen to the sitting room, dropping onto the couch in front of Blaise. “Why are you still here?” I ask him, noticing Mia is dancing with Allie by the stairs. I inwardly huff when they notice us and head over. “Get fucked,” Blaise spits, taking another drink of his beer. My eyes absently zone into the way his throat moves with each gulp. I wish I could cut it wide open and watch the way his blood flows out. I’d make sure I drained every drop, bleed him dry, then sit by while he turns blue and lifeless. There’s a tick in my jaw, and I drag my gaze to his face instead. “Stop talking to me,” he adds when I don’t snap back. I laugh and kick my legs up on the table between us. “Daddy won’t like it if he knows his little princess is drunk the night before practice.” Even though he’s done with high school, he still plays on their team for the next two weeks. He grits his teeth and goes to retort, but we’re interrupted by my friends. I’m handed another joint, and I keep my eyes on Blaise as I fill my lungs with the toxic smoke and blow it in his direction. With a grimace, he waves his hand in front of him, giving me the death stare that doesn’t even slightly scare me. “I’m bored,” Samson says, sitting next to Blaise. “Let’s play a game.” Allie sighs as she approaches with Mia. “Please don’t say Never Have I Ever.” Getting comfortable pressed up to my side, she drops her head to my shoulder, lacing our fingers while I inhale on the joint and pass it back to Keith. Blaise only stares at me, his eyes narrowing. I bet the fucking prick will tell his dad that I was smoking weed tonight. My brow quirks, and he averts his eyes to his girlfriend. Such a fake asshole. Always pretending he actually fucking likes her. “What game, then?” Samson hums, thinking to himself before clicking his fingers. “We’ll have two teams. One chases the other, and if you catch them, you can beat them the fuck up or just take your point as winning.” Blaise snorts. “What’s the point? What do we get if we win?” “We’ll decide later.” “Sounds dumb.” His voice irritates me. I can imagine my fist laying into his smug face, but the idea of letting my mom down again makes me rein it in. “I’m not on his team,” Blaise says as he gestures to me, and my right eye twitches. “He’ll cheat.” I scoff. “Fuck off. No one even wants you here.” Mia scowls. “Hey! Allie asked us to come!” Fuck Allie too. Relationship or not, she fucked me over by asking her friend to come tonight. I never hang out with Blaise. I’d rather rip my own balls off. The only reason Mia knows Blaise is because I told Allie she could bring a friend to the stupid wedding of our parents. Biggest mistake ever. He doesn’t deserve to be happy. I hope she cheats on him and breaks his fucking heart. “How many people are here?” Samson asks. “Twenty-five.” “Great!” He’s grinning as he stands. “One can be the referee. Do you still have the masks from Halloween? The black and the white ones with the blank faces?” “Yeah,” Keith replies. “And the black hoodies.” “Let’s do it. Twelve on each side. We wear masks and hoodies to hide who we are. Bring a little fun into it.” Keith vanishes, and the party continues. The music gets louder, and Blaise is on his seventh beer. If he drinks any more, I won’t need to tell his dad. He’ll get caught. But of course, he’ll get a free pass regardless of how strict our parents are. If it was me who had something on the day after partying, I’d get my ass handed to me and kicked out. I’m too broke to survive outside of the house. Allie pulls my arm. “Let’s go back to my place. We don’t need to play the chasing game.” I ignore her, downing my drink and looking around, losing sight of Blaise. I can’t see his girlfriend either, so maybe they’ve had the same idea. My girlfriend looks up at me with puppy dog eyes. “Caleb, please. I want to have sex.” Saving the day – because I really can’t be fucked with going home and having Allie slopping up my cock or riding me until I force myself to come – Samson returns with a box filled with the masks we all wore at the Halloween-themed football party last year before we all split up and headed for college. All of them are the same style. Blank face masks with no design. The chasers will wear white, and the runners will wear black. No weapons allowed. No inflicting fatal injuries. No siding with the other team to beat down the other. No phones. With my lack of a response, Allie’s moved on to kissing my throat. “Let’s go upstairs instead. I want to walk around this party with your cum leaking out of my pussy, baby. Come on. Before they pull us into our teams.” My cock shows no reaction to her words, even as she’s tugging at me to go upstairs with her and grabbing at me through my pants. She pouts when she finds me soft – the same way I was last night while she was on her knees for me. It’s been happening a lot. I have next to no interest in sexual pleasure. We haven’t had sex in a while. Maybe that’s one of many signs to break up with her. Her lips part to say something else, but Samson grabs everyone’s attention. “Okay. Let’s choose teams!” I try to peel Allie off me while she hangs on to my arm like I’m about to disappear. She’s so damn horny when she’s drunk. I still can’t see Blaise. Hopefully, he left, because the urge to kick his face in during this game is too much. I’ll probably kill him if I end up on the opposite team. It would be a damn miracle if I found him first. When Blaise staggers into the room, I roll my eyes and gulp the rest of my drink, barely registering the burn down in my throat. He drunkenly crosses his arms and leans against the wall opposite me, his hair disheveled. I look at Mia and roll my eyes at her fixing her skirt, the smudged lipstick, the redness of her throat. I feel sorry for her having to spend so much time with him. She’s best friends with Allie. I might lie and say she tried to fuck me to ruin their friendship. It’ll put an end to me and Blaise being at the same parties. “Why are you staring at Mia?” Allie asks, and I turn to look at her, at the frown between her brows. “Do you want her? Is this because of what happened last week? I’m sorry. I promise I stopped texting him.” She was talking with her professor—flirting, to be exact—and I had to pretend I cared enough and used that as one of the reasons I don’t want to fuck her when she cried to me about needing to be screwed. “Caleb and Blaise should choose teams.” My brows raise as I bring my attention back to my friends. They know I hate my stepbrother. They’ve seen me pin the bastard to his locker by the throat and demand he make his father leave my mom. I hated him when he came into my life years ago, and I still hate him now.

Caleb’s POV It takes ten minutes to form teams. Blaise chooses Allie, so I choose Mia. I smirk at his evil glare when she comes to stand beside me and smiles up at me. She’s pretty. I’m tempted to actually fuck her and record it, just to piss him off. We get our masks and black hoodies, pulling the hoods up to hide our hair, and everyone makes their way to the back of the house. Samson lives in the middle of nowhere with woodland surrounding us – easy to get lost, but also easy to hide a body if needed. I might kill my stepbrother tonight. No one speaks a word as the only person who isn’t playing stands in front of us. “The runners get a two-minute head start. Remember the rules. Go!” They scatter, some already tripping over their feet, others shooting off and out of sight. Hopefully, I don’t catch Allie. She’ll probably try to make me fuck her into the dirt like some rape fantasy where she begs me to stop. She loves that. But I can’t be bothered with her over-exaggerated moans and clawing at my back when I’m barely inside her. I’m starting to think I don’t love her the way I thought I did. The way my therapist insisted I admit to. My feelings are blank when it comes to my relationship. I forced myself to think I felt that way about her. Mom wanted me to get a girlfriend, and I was trying to please her and prove I’m not a total waste of space after we ran from my father, so I found the best-looking chick at school and told her she was mine. “One,” Samson yells, jumping on his toes as I adjust my mask. “Two.” “I’m hunting down Anabelle and tearing through her cunt,” Keith says, his voice muffled by his mask. “She’s been giving me the eyes all night.” “The rules, dipshit.” Someone laughs, shaking their head at our friend. “Nothing about fucking them.” He chuckles. “Watch me.” “Three. Go!” Everyone splits up, and I set off toward the woods, my fists clenched and ready to beat the shit out of someone. Especially Blaise for being a wanker earlier. I’ll pound his ass into the ground, and he won’t even know it was me. Mom can’t give me shit about it this time. It’s dark, so I can barely see once I get deep within the trees. But when I hear screams, it gives me a push to keep running, to catch some sorry fucker and take my anger out on them. Anticipation ignites within me when I see someone running up ahead. I quicken my steps and begin the chase, enjoying the way my heart races and the adrenaline injects into my veins. They glance over their shoulder, noticing me, the moon shining through the canopy leading me toward them. They’re running so damn fast; I nearly lose them a few times while dodging branches and jumping over fallen trees. The person stumbles, and I take the opportunity to tackle them to the ground, pinning them face down into the dirt. My body is alive as they thrash beneath me. More alive than it ever has been. Trying to free themselves by pushing against the dirt, I grab the back of their head over the hood and shove them down. My weight on their back keeps them in place, and I close my eyes, trying to relax the urges. My heart beats so fucking hard. But that’s not the only thing. The need to hurt this person is there, but it tamps down as I realize my cock is straining in my pants. Confused, I stare down at where my bulge glows under the moonlight as it presses into the person’s ass. I’m rock solid, stabbing into the person beneath me, who isn’t even fighting back anymore or attempting to get away. They’re trying to control their erratic lungs and digging their fingers into the dirt. It’s definitely not Allie. She’d be screaming and slapping and demanding I get the fuck off her until she realizes it’s me and rips off her own clothes. Who am I kidding? She’d do that with anyone. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s gone elsewhere for a fuck. I’ve beaten guys for simply thinking of disrespecting me, but that’s the only reason. I don’t feel hurt or anger when she fucks around behind my back. This person is tall like me, has a big build, and I think I might be digging my cock into a guy’s ass. Regardless of this knowledge, I hold their nape, keeping them in place as my urge to win takes over, and I rock my hips forward. Depravity courses through my bloodstream as I feel myself getting even harder. “Get the fuck off me,” the strained, muffled voice warns. Despite everything within me, telling me to get off this guy and beat him up so he never finds out who just dry thrusted against his ass, my balls tighten, and I force him farther into the dirt by the neck. “St-op,” they whisper, but there’s no fucking fight left in them. I straighten my arms, shoving down the person’s hood at the back, pausing when I see short dark hair. Reality hits me that I might actually be hard for a guy right now, but I still don’t get off them. Fuck. My pulse thunders in my ears at the softness of their hair as I slide my hand up their nape and brush my fingers through the wavy strands. And my cock twitches even more, my lungs burn with the need for pleasure – I haven’t felt this way in months. Something inside me snaps. I stand up, roughly yanking the person to their knees by their hair. They don’t move as I stare down at the black mask. Whoever this is, they’re submitting. How far will they let me go? Reaching for the chin of the mask, they don’t stop me as I slide it up, and I hesitate, my heart fucking thundering and cock pulsing as I stare down at my stepbrother. I swallow past a sudden lump in my throat, my eyes zoned into his lips, his fucking mouth. His heavy breaths – how audible they are. Why am I getting harder? The green eyes I need to stare at every day are locked onto my mask, reminding me that I’ll never be as good as him. I’ll never be the family good boy or excel in college. I’m the reject, the black sheep who is nothing but a disappointment like my father, and it’s all because of this prick. I grit my teeth as I snatch his jaw, reaching for my belt and unbuckling it quickly, unable to think straight. “Open,” I say, doing everything I can to hide my voice. “Open your fucking mouth.” Blaise’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t refuse or tell me to fuck off. He doesn’t tell me he has a girlfriend or that he’s not interested. He doesn’t realize his eyes are dropping to his stepbrother’s cock. I fist my thick length, precum already leaking from the tip as I rim his soft lips that are begging to wrap around me. I can tell by the look in his eyes. Terrified yet needy. Blaise is nervous – the breaths falling from his lips aren’t from running. He doesn’t even know whose dick is in his face. I wonder how his dad would react if he saw his angelic son sucking his stepson’s dick? I don’t even have my phone on me to record this moment. Grabbing a handful of his hair, I tug his head back, rubbing the underside of my cock against his mouth and letting a deep groan leave my strained throat. I should be ashamed of this – I have a girlfriend. And this is Blaise’s mouth I’m rubbing my cock against. “Tongue out,” I say, low and demanding. I tighten my grip on his hair as the heat of his tongue slides against the underside of my cock. As much as this is a way to punish him, I’m dying to slide my cock into his mouth, to feel how good he is at sucking. I’ve never had a guy suck my cock before. Fuck, I’ve never done anything with a guy before. Why is this even happening? Why is my body reacting this way? Why do I want to pin him down and force him to take every inch into his throat? His hands fly up to push at my thighs as I thrust into his mouth, finally giving me some resistance. And damn, it feels so good. He’s trying to shove me away, even as he’s wrapping his lips around my cock, making my balls tighten and tingle. I hold the back of his head, keeping my balance as I pull him toward me, forcing him to take another inch. There are voices around us. Someone’s screaming for someone to stop. I think it might be Blaise’s girlfriend. Maybe she’s being choked the fuck out, the same way I’m choking her boyfriend out with my dick. I force my way deeper, feeling his throat contracting around me. His eyes are watering, and I want to take a picture so I can show him. I could use it as blackmail the next time he tries to use my mom against me, the conniving little bastard. Rage consumes me, thinking of all the times he’s made me look like the bad guy to our parents, and I grab both sides of his head and roughly fuck his mouth, reveling in the sound of him gagging and gasping around my thickness. Is it bad that Allie doesn’t make me feel this way? This fucking feral while getting a blowjob? I’m like an animal as I completely ruin him until his hands slide from my thighs, giving up as I control his head. I don’t think he’s breathing, but his eyes stay glued to my mask. I guess he’s still somehow alive as I repeatedly slam into his mouth. Another scream from behind, too far away to see what I’m doing to Blaise, so I go faster, harder, feeling the swollen crown bruising the back of his throat until I’m seeing stars. My head falls back, elongating my neck as I grit out a moan. The muscles in my thighs bunch as I try to stay at this fast pace, faltering as he whimpers and chokes around my cock. I clench my jaw, groaning as the tightness around my balls gets too much. Fuck. Fucking fuck. I swear through my mask as I still, robbing him of air as I keep my cock buried deep. My cum leaks down his throat in spurts until my vision blurs, and I nearly lose my balance. He drinks every drop, his wet eyes on my mask as I stay in position, my fingers digging into his skull until I pull out of his mouth and shove him back. Blaise doesn’t get a second to catch up on reality before I drive my fist into his face, knocking him out. Stepping away, I stuff my cock back into my pants, breathless, my chest heaving as I try to figure out what the fuck I’ve just done. Blaise is unconscious in the dirt with my cum coating his throat, and I don’t regret it. I’ve never been interested in a guy. Not that I’m interested in this asshole – I just wanted to ruin him and my cock got in the way. Blaise’s pants are completely tented. It seems my stepbrother liked sucking dick. I can see the wet patch through the material from the moon’s glow cracking through the tree canopy. I chuckle deeply to myself, shaking my head as I turn and leave him in the middle of the woods, officially done with this fucking game.

Blaise’s POV Scalding water pours down my back as I stare down at my engorged dick that’s bobbing against my wet stomach. It’s been rock hard since that night, when I was chased down by some masked stranger as part of a game and forced to choke on his dick while mayhem ensued all around us, like a twisted symphony of terror. I can still feel my knees sinking into the soft grass, its earthy scent clogging my nostrils. Power thrummed through him as he ripped off my mask. While I kneeled before him, my heart thrashed madly behind my ribs. He hesitated, and that moment of hesitation, the slight hitch in his breath, made my dick weep behind my zipper. “Fuck,” I mutter, grasping my veiny length and giving it a firm stroke. I’ve lost count of how long I’ve been in this fucking shower, tormented by memories of that night. I’m not gay. So, I might have a secret obsession with my stepbrother, but that doesn’t make me gay…right? Besides, I don’t know where the hell he was while I was choking on a stranger’s dick and loving every twisted minute. Note to self: New kink unlocked. Well, until he knocked me out with a single punch. My obsession with my stepbrother has been a thing of mysteries, never this…tangible as it is now while I drag my thumb over the crown of my cock. A groan reverberates through me, and I drop my chin to my chest. Fuck, I want a repeat. Only this time, I want my stepbrother in the stranger’s place – his fingers digging into the side of my skull. I’d do anything to see him unleash his inner demons and allow them out to cause a little havoc with mine. Despite what he likes to think, we’re not that dissimilar. His violent tendencies and my darker desires circle each other every time we’re in a room together. Pleasure ripples down my spine, and my abs contract as I visualize my stepbrother’s cruel smirk. While I’ve always been dominant with my girlfriend, never one to offer up my control freely, it’s different with Caleb. His overpowering presence leaves no room for anything but complete submission. With a predator like him, my power is found in my submission. If I push back, I lose. However, if I willingly sacrifice myself to his hunger for anarchy and complete destruction, he loses. Though he may think he’s the one in complete control, the mask slips when he gives in to those carnal urges. I haven’t succeeded yet, but I will. My balls draw up tight, and I bite down hard on my lip. The water is slowly turning cold, raising goosebumps on my reddened skin while I jerk my cock as though I have a vendetta against it. I’m so damn horny, and nothing can satisfy this growing need that’s festering inside me⁠— A slender arm slides around my waist, and I stiffen as Mia trails her lips over my back. “You should have woken me up. I could take care of you.” Gnashing my teeth, I bite back a curse and slowly turn to face her. As she smiles up at me, the cold water hardens her rosy nipples. She reaches for my dick. “What were you fantasizing about that’s made you so hard, baby?” Her voice is all wrong. Where Caleb has hard muscles and rippling abs, she has soft curves. Where Caleb is sharp angles and vicious glares, she’s sweet smiles and peals of laughter. My cock threatens to deflate as she drops to her knees. I try so fucking hard to get into it, but this position fails to scratch the itch even as I bury my fingers in her damp locks. The only person who could satisfy it is blasting music across the hallway like a fucking asshole. My eyes fall shut, and I force myself to focus on her mouth around my cock. Her head bobs in my hands, and she moans, but no matter how much I try, I can’t come. I just fucking can’t. Not like this, and certainly not with her. “What’s wrong?” she asks in a broken voice as I exit the shower. Icy panic crawls up my legs and clenches my abdominals while I scrub my hair with a towel, blocking her out behind me. Why does she have to be so good and pure? I crave mayhem and darkness. “Talk to me, baby.” I tie the towel around my waist and then drag my hand through my ruffled hair, smoothing it down. “Nothing is wrong. I’m just not in the mood.” Lies. My cock aches; it’s that damn hard. Mia continues watching me with her doe eyes, but I don’t look at her again as I exit the bathroom. Her steps follow me into the bedroom, and she stays silent while I pull a T-shirt over my head. After locating my jeans on the floor, I drop the towel and shove my foot through the pant leg. “You’re still hard.” Don’t I know it? “Your point?” “Why won’t you let me make you feel good?” Sighing, I zip up my pants and then meet her worried eyes. A part of me wants to reassure her and tell her everything is fine, like I always do when she gets in one of these moods. But I just don’t have it in me right now, confused by my stormy emotions. Nothing is clear-cut. Pausing, I let my eyes drift down her naked, wet body. Her perfect curves would drive any man crazy, so why could I take it or leave it? Why am I not on my knees, worshiping her pink cunt and making her moan my name? Why do I feel this inexplicable pull toward my stepbrother’s room? It’s all fucked up. My secret fixation on him shouldn’t bleed into my reality. She turns away from me, and the relief I feel is immense. Blowing out a breath, I drag a hand down my face, then snatch my phone off the dresser. My brows furrow as I read over a text from an unknown number. Unknown: My dick begs for more when I think of you on your knees, and your mouth stuffed with my cum. Heart in my throat, I type out a reply. Me: Who’s this? His response is immediate. Unknown: Your worst nightmare. Mia walks past me in a cloud of perfume and hurt feelings, her shoulder brushing my chest. “Are you coming or not?” I look up from the screen, only to be met by her arched brow. My cock twitches inside its denim confines as the phone burns my hand. I pocket it, then hold the door open for her. “After you.”

Blaise’s POV Mia talks to Allie and my stepmom, Rachel, while I spend the entire breakfast staring at my phone. Despite how much I hope another message will pop up on the screen, nothing else comes through. I want to—no, I need to find out who hid behind that mask. A small hand lands on my bulge beneath the table, and I frown at Mia, who ignores me while smiling at my stepmom. She swiftly frees my dick and pumps the hard length. What the hell has gotten into her today? This is Mia, the good girl, the girl who never steps out of line or takes risks, like jerking her boyfriend in front of his parents. I’m two seconds away from removing her hand, when my eyes clash with Caleb’s across the table. He glances down as though he knows exactly what’s going on, and I struggle to decipher the flash of emotion that darkens his eyes. It’s stormy, toxic, and unlike anything I’ve seen on his face before. Precum leaks from my dick as he holds me captive with his blue eyes that burn with enough intensity to curl my toes. Beside me, Mia throws her head back and laughs at something my stepmom says. Her small hand works my cock until I can barely fucking breathe, fighting the inevitable. One more push, and I’ll topple. The way Caleb watches me makes my mouth go dry. My breath picks up, and my knuckles turn white against the edge of the table. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Caleb leans over and whispers in Allie’s ear before straightening back up and smirking like a damn villain. “I need to talk to you,” Allie says to Mia, who pauses with her hand on my dick. What the hell? I could cry. “Now?” Mia asks as Allie stands up. “It’s important.” I almost snatch her hand back. Almost tell her to finish me off before she leaves. My balls throb, and it’s all thanks to the asshole across the table, whose smirk remains in place as he picks up his phone. He types out a quick text, and then his eyes are back on me, a dark, deadly abyss I could drown in. His mom asks him questions while I tuck my aching dick away. Blue balls are the last thing I need. He leaves, taking his hard glares and heady scent with him, and I pick up my phone and swipe the screen. No new messages. My heart sinks, and I tap my thumb against the side as thoughts of my masked mystery man crowd my head. I need a repeat of that night. I need it like my next breath. My phone pings, and I pick it up so fast that my stepmom throws me a startled gaze as she pours orange juice into her glass. My dad, who’s spent the last half an hour reading the newspaper, folds it up. Unknown: Jerk that fat cock for me and send me a video. “Are you okay, Blaise? You look flushed.” Torn from my thoughts, I open my mouth to respond, when another message pops up on the screen. My eyes home in on it like a missile. Unknown: Now. My fingers fly across the screen, and then, after hitting send, I scoot my chair back, offering Dad and my stepmom a smile. Me: Not until you reveal your identity. I’ve never fled a room so fast before without making it look like I’m running. Unknown: You want to see me? Locking myself in the downstairs bathroom, I plop down on the toilet seat as an attachment pops up on the screen. I click on it at record speed, then gulp at the photo of a veiny dick. I honestly never thought I’d be into other guys’ dicks, but mine jerks a little as I lick my lips. Unknown: Like what you see? Stroke your cock for me. Make it leak with precum. “Fuck,” I whisper, unzipping my jeans with trembling hands and squeezing my hard length. I’m so aroused it won’t take much at all. I record a short video, then hit send before I can change my mind. His response tingles my balls. Unknown: Do you want to know what went through my mind while I pounded your tight throat? Chest heaving, I reply to his text while a bead of sweat trails down my temple. Me: Tell me. The sound of slapping skin and my labored breaths fill the tense silence as I wait for his reply. Unknown: Beg me. “Fucking cock tease,” I mutter. Me: Please tell me what you were thinking as you fucked my throat. More precum seeps from my dick, so I swipe it up with my thumb, then lick it off while imagining his taste on my lips. Unknown: I was thinking how fucking pathetic you were, gagging on my dick and clawing at my thighs as though I’d let you breathe if you hurt me. Spoiler: I wouldn’t. You’d die suffocating on my fat cock first. Pleasure bursts behind my eyelids, but I manage to hold off from climaxing too soon, like a pubescent boy, greedily awaiting his next message. Unknown: Is that what you want, Blaise? To be fucked to within an inch of your life and left ruined and covered in cum? When I fail to respond, another message pops up. Unknown: Answer me. “Insufferable prick,” I mutter. Me: Yes, I want you to ruin me with your dick. His immediate response has my throbbing dick twitching in my grip. Unknown: Careful of what you wish for. Unknown: Now film yourself coming all over your hand, then send it to me. Hands trembling, I press record, stifling a moan while jacking my dick with renewed effort. I’m a savage beast, tapping into desires I never knew existed. Well, I had an inkling, but I never realized the ferocity behind the desire currently flooding my veins like a powerful, intoxicating drug. Sex with my girlfriend pales in comparison to this. Sex never had meaning until now. Cum erupts from my dick, raining over my hand, and I choke on my saliva as I shudder through the strongest orgasm I’ve ever experienced. It never fucking ends. As seconds turn into minutes on the screen, I milk my dick dry, relishing the image he’ll soon see of my hand, coated in cum, as it beats my cock in time with my heaving breaths. When my pulse returns to a semblance of normal, I hit send⁠— A loud bang on the door startles me, and I jump ten miles into the air. “You in there, fuckface? If you’re not in the car in five, we’re leaving without you.” Caleb’s voice drips with humor. Oh, right, I need my car fixed so I don’t have to catch rides from my insufferable stepbrother.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “367819”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #擦边Steamy

To trick my mom into letting me leave for school a week early, she eyed me suspiciously: “The Chen boy next door goes to the same university as you, why isn’t he leaving early?” I nervously rubbed my hands. “You’re going to see a boy, aren’t you? It’s fine, I’m not some old-fashioned prude. Here’s an extra three hundred bucks, go have fun.” I accepted it with overwhelming gratitude: “Yes, yes, yes, whatever you say!” My mom bought it. On the train, I pulled out a brand-new physics textbook and scratched my head, desperately copying notes. What boyfriend? I was going back early to take a makeup exam! On the way to the makeup exam. My mom video-called me. “Sweetie, let Mommy see your new boyfriend.” 1 I’m doomed. I only have new test scores, not a new boyfriend! Driven by desperation, I could only point the camera randomly at a passerby. “Mom, he’s the reason I left for school early.” When I lie to my mom, I always commit fully. I was planning to just use the side of the passerby’s face to fool her. But no matter how softly I spoke. The handsome guy in the camera still turned his head. My mom screamed from the other end of the video: “He’s so handsome?! Are you dating a celebrity? Bring him home this weekend!” “Gotta go, I’m going to take screenshots and show off to my friends, hahahaha…” The video call ended with my mom’s exaggerated, boomer-style laughter. Leaving me and the handsome guy staring at each other in the wind. The guy stood tall and straight, his facial features sharp and handsome—a literal god. I scratched my head and laughed awkwardly. “Sorry about that, classmate. I was too embarrassed to say I came back early for a makeup exam, so I lied to my parents and said I was coming back to see my boyfriend.” The handsome guy expressed understanding. And he sped up his pace alongside me. Looks like we’re in the same boat. I struck up a conversation while practically jogging: “Classmate, are you here for the physics makeup exam too?” The handsome guy didn’t speak, just kept rushing forward. He didn’t have any study materials on him. At a glance, you could tell he was an honest kid. Cheating on such a hard class was a must, he was definitely going to fail! A plan formed in my mind: “Bro, how about this: I have a lot of cheat sheets on me, I basically copied down all the formulas. I’ll share some must-pass tips with you, and you come home with me this weekend to meet my parents, deal?” As soon as I said that. He stopped in his tracks. Seeing that he was bought off by me. The beginner’s guide to cheating begins now! I pulled out the tissue paper with key points from my pocket. Then I fished out a ten-fold formula sheet from my knee-high socks. The most, most important thing, of course, is the phone! The handsome guy was confused: “How do you bring a phone into the exam room? The proctors always use metal detectors!” I smiled wisely: “Heh, the teachers only scan your body, they never check what’s in your hand! And mine is a flip phone!” “What about the signal jammers?” “Those old jammers our school has can’t block 5G signals at all, the connection is perfectly fine.” The handsome guy nodded thoughtfully, and continued to ask sincerely: “Since you have so many tricks, how come you didn’t pass the final exam?” I waved my hand, patting his shoulder earnestly: “Let’s not dwell on past failures, let’s look forward together!” After arriving at the classroom. I saw a few of my suffering sisters. Great, our mutual aid group was assembled in a second. But I didn’t forget the handsome guy I just met. I quickly pulled him in. Seeing how breathtakingly handsome he was, the sisterhood agreed immediately. Everyone started sharing their cheat sheets and how they planned to pass answers right under the proctor’s nose later. The handsome guy must have been moved by me. He even proactively asked for the names of everyone in our mutual aid group. I raised an eyebrow at him, signaling no thanks needed. As good bros, this is how we do it. Enough for him to remember for a lifetime. 2 There were only ten minutes left before the exam. The students had finished all their preparations. But the proctor was nowhere to be seen. My best friend, Jessica, started gossiping about the proctor. “I heard the proctor for our room is the male god from University A, a second-year PhD student, super handsome, exaggeratedly better looking than Timothée Chalamet. He’s only proctoring at our University C today as a favor to a friend.” “Rumor has it he’s a research genius, already being fought over by research institutes from University A and University C before even graduating, with starting salaries in the seven figures.” Chloe from the sisterhood slammed the desk in regret: “Damn it, if I had known, I would have done a full face of makeup.” “Sigh, then we need to be careful when cheating.” “It’s fine! A good student like him, he’s never seen our high-tech cheating methods!” … It wasn’t until the roving proctor outside the classroom delivered the exam papers that everyone quieted down. “Hey, where’s your Teacher Gan? Wasn’t he supposed to be here early?” Teacher Gan? I whispered to the sisterhood: “What a weird last name, hilarious. If he’s Teacher Gan (Dry), am I Teacher Shi (Wet)?” (Translator’s note: In Chinese, “Gan” means dry. The protagonist makes a dirty joke contrasting it with “Shi” meaning wet). The dirty-minded girls instantly thought the wrong thing. Giggling endlessly below the desks. My face felt a bit hot: “I didn’t mean it like that!” But no matter how much I defended myself, it was useless. Just while everyone was still grinning. The handsome guy who had been sitting in the corner slowly stood up. He calmly accepted the exam papers, pulled a proctor ID from his pocket, and stood at the podium. “Hello everyone, I am your proctor for today, Arthur Gan.” No way. Excuse me? Is it too late for me to apologize with my death right now? 3 Obviously, it was too late. Forget the phones and cheat sheets. Even the smartwatch Jessica hid in her pant leg was confiscated. Arthur said he meant no harm. I agree. He simply didn’t want us to live. Without any suspense. The sisterhood and I were completely wiped out by Arthur, forcing us all to retake the class. In sheer desperation, I could only kneel to the sisters in our group chat: “I’m sorry, I invited the wolf into our house. To make amends, I’m willing to give you my life!” Chloe sent a “disgusted” emoji: “Only offering useless things.” Jessica immediately followed up: “Since you sincerely want to make it up to us, we will show great mercy and give you a chance to redeem yourself.” I nodded like a chicken pecking at grain: “Tell me, tell me.” “Arthur will be taking a part-time job at our University C this semester, and he just happens to be our physics teacher. Go seduce him, claim him, ravage him! Help the sisters vent our anger, and then get the exam paper from him at the end of the semester.” Huh? Me? What kind of thing am I, that I even deserve a second glance from Arthur? I was helpless: “Jessica, do you have a filter on me? What makes you think I can take down the male god of University A?!” Jessica was full of confidence: “Based on my years of experience navigating the world, the way Arthur looked at you that day was definitely not innocent. You just need to crook your finger, and he’ll take the bait.” I don’t know if Arthur’s eyesight is good or bad, but Jessica’s eyesight is definitely bad. But since things have come to this, I can only try to treat a dead horse as a living doctor. Besides, I failed the makeup exam. I absolutely can’t let my parents guess that I came back early for the makeup exam. The day after tomorrow is the weekend. No time to lose, I need to hurry to University A and find Arthur to go home with me this weekend. 4 Before setting off, the whole dorm helped me put on a super stunning succubus makeup look. The head-turning rate was indeed quite high. Our University C and University A are only separated by College Avenue. Arthur is very famous. I just asked a random student and found out his dorm building. When I arrived at his dorm building, I was shocked. As expected of a PhD student. A single room for one person is one thing. This dorm building was like a luxury apartment. It made me want to apply for a PhD too. Very luckily, after squatting downstairs for half an hour, I caught Arthur. He wore a crisp black shirt, the cuffs slightly rolled up, revealing his prominent wrist bones. Unlike the messy look when I first met him. Today, his hair looked meticulously styled, every single strand radiating handsomeness. I was so struck by his handsomeness that my breath hitched. Dressed up, he was far too high-profile. Passing girls all looked over. “Looking for me?” He raised an eyebrow. “How did you know?” I was puzzled. The corners of his mouth curved up slightly: “You’ve been squatting at this door for twenty-eight minutes. You didn’t stop any of the many guys walking by, but as soon as I came down, you came to meet me.” Taking him to play a murder mystery game would definitely be an easy win. I got straight to the point: “Yes, I want you to go home with me this weekend pretending to be my boyfriend to deal with my mom.” He crossed his arms: “Why should I?” “Because you used me to infiltrate our sisterhood, making me the target of public criticism, failing the makeup exam, and unable to answer to my parents!” I was anxious. He still had the nerve to ask me why. If it weren’t for him, I would have passed the makeup exam long ago. And I wouldn’t have to beg him to go home with me. He frowned slightly: “Is your cheating really that justified?” “You!” I licked my lips, unable to refute. True. He, a PhD student at University A, hadn’t done anything wrong either. What capability did I have to make him pretend to be my boyfriend? It seems Jessica’s eyesight really is problematic. Saying the way he looked at me wasn’t innocent. We’re the ones who are truly doomed if we mess with him. Seeing Arthur turn around, about to go back inside. A clear, cold voice interrupted my thoughts. “Mia, why are you here?” “Senior Ethan?” 5 Ethan is a senior at University A. We met at a mixer. He had a good impression of me. Gentle, considerate, polite, and proper. So I used the excuse of liking aloof men to reject him directly. At this moment, my eyes darted around, and I quickly grabbed his sleeve: “Senior Ethan, are you free this weekend?” Ethan had just opened his mouth. When Arthur turned back, looking at me coldly: “He’s not free.” “Huh? Teacher Gan, I…” “Have you submitted your graduation thesis?” Speaking of the thesis, Ethan was not only unpanicked but quite confident: “Not yet, but I’ll finish it next week!” “Too late, Professor Huang wants it this Saturday, he asked you to go see him on Saturday.” Ethan panicked a little: “There was no notice.” Arthur spoke slowly: “Professor Huang will notify you tonight.” Ethan nodded, then said to me: “Then I’m free on Sunday.” My originally dimmed eyes lit up again, hope rekindled. Arthur glanced at me, his tone calm but unquestionable: “Sunday won’t work either, the short essay for my class is due on Sunday.” Ethan gasped: “What? Teacher Gan, you didn’t mention that.” Arthur calmly took out his phone and operated it for a bit: “The notice has already been sent to your phones.” Seeing he still wanted to say something, Arthur continued: “The mock test that hasn’t been scheduled yet is also set for…” “I’m not free!!” Ethan turned his head, looked at me, and said firmly: “Sorry Mia, I’m not free this weekend. I have to study this weekend. I love studying. I’m going to go study now, bye.” 6 “I can agree to pretend to be your boyfriend, but you have to agree to one request of mine.” After Ethan left, Arthur leaned in close to me and said. His exquisite features suddenly magnified in front of me, and I leaned back a bit: “Sure, as long as you come home with me this weekend, I’ll agree to ten of your requests!” “Okay, my request is that you come home with me tonight first.” “Huh?!” I widened my eyes, suspecting there was something wrong with my ears. Arthur looked at me expressionlessly: “What, just said you’d agree to ten requests, and now you’re chickening out on the first one?” “No, your request… is it proper?” I shrank back warily. Arthur raised an eyebrow: “You want an improper one?” “I don’t!” He turned to leave: “Then forget it.” “Wait, wait, wait!” I grabbed his sleeve: “I’ll go! Who’s afraid of who! It’s a society ruled by law, what can you possibly do to me? But we have a deal, if I go to your place, you have to come home with me this weekend.” Arthur looked down at my hand gripping him, the corners of his mouth curving slightly: “Deal. I’ll pick you up for dinner at my place around mealtime.” While following him toward the apartment building, I frantically messaged the sisterhood group chat: [Sisters, Arthur wants me to go home with him tonight.] Jessica replied instantly: [Holy shit! You’re amazing, sis! This progress bar is moving faster than a rocket!] Chloe: [The girls at University A all say Arthur could outshine Timothée Chalamet and Tom Holland if he debuted. Mia, you should just start a masterclass.] Rachel types very slowly, with grandma-speed: [Remember to wear ultra-thin 0.01.] Concise, straight to the highway. Me: [Wear your head, I’m going to exchange favors with him.] Chloe sent a “let’s get dirty” emoji: [Going to his place to exchange? Exchange what? Positions??] Jessica: [Oh my god, Mia, you’re something else! A pure female college student on the outside, playing so wild behind closed doors?] Me: [Can you guys be a little pure! He’s a PhD! He’s about to be our substitute teacher! Do you have any professional ethics?] This group of women, whether it’s red or black, they’ll turn it yellow for you. (Translator’s note: In Chinese slang, “yellow” means pornographic/dirty). Chloe: [Tsk, he just caught you cheating, and turns around and asks you to his place. Savor this operation, savor it carefully.] Me: […Savor what, I can’t savor anything.] Jessica: [I savor that he wants to tutor you privately! One-on-one! Private lessons! Close-contact teaching!] Chloe: [The kind where you wear tight clothes.] Me: […I’m wearing a hoodie and jeans, thank you.] Jessica: [Tsk, so unromantic. Hurry up and go buy a battle outfit! There’s a new mall outside the school!] Me: [I have no money!] Chloe: [Didn’t you just scam three hundred bucks out of your mom?] Me: […] 7 Arthur’s apartment is in a high-end complex next to University A. In the elevator, I was so nervous I was picking at my fingernails. He, on the other hand, was completely composed, leaning against the elevator wall scrolling on his phone. I secretly glanced at his profile. Really handsome. Hiss, why does he feel a bit familiar? I seem to have seen him somewhere before. Sigh, handsome guys always look handsome in the same way. Only ugly men are ugly in all sorts of strange ways. “Have a seat anywhere.” Arthur poured me a glass of water. Holding the glass, I sat awkwardly on the sofa, not knowing where to look. Arthur sat across from me: “Your name is Mia Lin, sophomore in Computer Science at University C, living in Happy Community, Hangzhou. Right?” I almost spat out a mouthful of water: “How do you know?!” He gave me a flat look: “The day you cheated, I memorized the names of everyone in your mutual aid group, and casually checked your files.” I gasped: “What exactly do you want to do?” Arthur didn’t answer, instead asking: “When did your mom ask you to bring me home?” “Saturday noon.” “Okay.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, swiped a few times, and handed it to me. I took it and looked. It was a list: Two cases of premium liquor. Two boxes of bird’s nest. Two cartons of imported cigarettes. Two boxes of cherries. Two boxes of sea cucumber. Two boxes of abalone. Two cases of olive oil. Two cases of milk. “This is?” Is this trying to move a supermarket to my house? “The standard package for meeting the parents.” Arthur replied with his head down, looking at the list and pondering: “What do your parents like? Add it on, I’ll go buy them tomorrow.” I stared at him blankly: “Why does it feel like you sincerely want to go home with me?” “After all, I can’t let you squat for those twenty-eight minutes for nothing.” His tone was very calm, but I always felt something was off. Just then, his phone rang. The screen flashed two words: “Queen Mother”. He answered, and before he could speak, a powerful female voice came from the other side: “Son! Let me tell you, that boy Auntie Li introduced to you, he’s a piano teacher, super handsome. I sent you his photo on WeChat, see if you like him!” Me: “???” Boy??? Arthur rubbed his temples: “Mom, I don’t need it.” “Why don’t you need it? You’re so old and haven’t even been in a relationship once! Mom isn’t some old fuddy-duddy, whether you like boys or girls, Mom supports you! This one is really super handsome, just meet him once…” “Mom, I have a girlfriend.” The phone went quiet for two seconds. “What?!” “Really, you can come see for yourself right now.” “Stop lying to me! Last time you said you had a partner, you brought back a cat!” I couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing with a “Pfft”. Arthur shot me a chilling glare. The mom on the phone obviously heard it too: “Son, is there someone next to you? Who is it?” Arthur was silent for a second: “The cat.” “…” “…” Me: “???” You’re the cat! Your whole family is a cat! 8 After Arthur hung up the phone, he put on an apron and started cooking. I was still brooding over that “cat” comment. “Arthur, how am I like a cat?” Arthur glanced at me while chopping vegetables: “You squatting downstairs curled up in a ball, doesn’t look like a cat?” I looked at him suspiciously. Could it be that he had been staring at me from upstairs the whole time? But I was too embarrassed to ask. Arthur chopped vegetables very quickly. His wrist bones were prominent, his knuckles like jade. And very agile. Seems like he’s quite strong too. ? Why did my thoughts suddenly turn dirty? Sure enough, he who lies with dogs shall rise with fleas, and he who is near yellow gets yellow! Arthur skillfully heated the wok, poured oil, and stir-fried. In no time, the aroma of food filled the air. “Wow, I couldn’t tell you knew how to cook.” I started showering him with compliments. The corners of Arthur’s mouth turned up: “There are plenty of things you can’t tell.” Holy cow, one compliment and he’s already this cocky. “Can you cook?” He asked me while offering me a taste. Of course I can’t. I took his offering with my mouth: “Haha, when I cook, I mainly focus on forfeiting color, aroma, and taste.” Soon, the second dish went into the wok. Right then, the sisters in the group asked me how the battle was going over here. I sneakily took a profile photo of Arthur cooking and a photo of the food. Jessica sent a picture of a fitness pause: [Looks like a girlfriend-perspective Timothée Chalamet. No wonder they say cooking is the best plastic surgery for men. I’m not working out anymore, whoever wants to work out can work out, I’m going to be your fragile beauty.] Chloe sent a “666” emoji: [Sis, if you meet a culinary school chef, just marry him, you won’t have to worry about food for the rest of your life.] Rachel, as always, types the slowest but drives the fastest. [Why are you serving dishes, serve him!] [Have you been in rehab? Being with such a huge handsome guy, can you resist?] The black text made my heart race. Just then, Arthur poked his head over: “What are you looking at, your face is so red?” I immediately switched to a study app interface, and said seriously: “Doing my daily study modules, party members are required to get a daily average of 30 points or more.” He glanced at my phone screen and laughed: “So this is the reason for your total score of 300? Looks like you joined the party ten days ago?” I swallowed nervously: “No, no, the points reset every so often.” Sure enough, one lie requires countless lies to cover it up. “Oh? Then why do my points never reset?” He opened his study app interface, showing a score of 51,753 points. His mouth was curled up, the corners of his eyes full of amusement, even carrying a trace of malice. Even that little canine tooth was rippling with mockery towards me. I gave him a thumbs up: “Teacher Gan, you’re really amazing!” Hearing the word “Teacher”, he quickly waved his hand: “Hey, I’m just teaching you this semester, don’t call me teacher.” I said fawningly: “How can that be? A teacher for a day is a father for life.” “No, no, no!” Seeing how resistant he was to me calling him teacher, an evil thought popped into my head: “Since I can’t call you teacher, and you’re not my parent, how about I call you ‘Brother’?” As soon as my voice fell. His face turned completely red in a second. This much fun? I leaned on his shoulder, deliberately whispering with a light laugh in his ear: “Brother.” I saw his Adam’s apple bob rapidly, his body stiffening. He abruptly lifted me onto the dining table, resting his hands on either side of my body. A gentle, abstinent aura gradually washed over me. “Mia, did you do that on purpose?” I didn’t expect one “Brother” could make him react this strongly. I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around his neck: “Brother, do you like me calling you that?” 9 After hesitating for a few seconds, he nodded. “Then if my friends and I call you ‘Brother’ every day from now on, will you let us pass the final exam?” As soon as my voice fell, Arthur’s movements froze. The air suddenly went quiet. His eyes reflected me, looking full of expectation. I was still eagerly waiting for his answer. Arthur, who had been a bit shy just a moment ago, suddenly had a dark look on his face. He gritted his teeth and said: “You really prioritize your career.” Of course! To a student, exams are the most important thing! “Ding dong, ding dong.” The doorbell rang, accompanied by a middle-aged woman’s voice: “Son, open the door, it’s Mommy.” What? His mom is here? My conditioned reflex was to dive under the table. Arthur squatted down to look at me, his tone holding back laughter: “Mia, your reaction is muscle memory, huh? Do you often sneak men in?” Arthur’s mom was still knocking on the door. I rolled my eyes: “How are you going to explain to your mom why I’m appearing in your house late at night!” His hand had already grabbed my arm: “Explain what? I brought you here to help me dispel rumors.” Oh, I understand. He wants to use me to trick his mom into believing he’s straight! Then he… Is actually gay? I was still immersed in my own shocking deductions. Arthur’s mom had already come in. She was wearing an exquisitely tailored white suit, the fabric gleaming with a pearl-like luster. At a glance, it was the kind of haute couture that screamed, “This one piece of clothing of mine is enough to pay your four years of tuition.” She didn’t even take off her shoes. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. She walked quickly towards me, her stilettos making crisp “clack clack” sounds on the floor. Then she gave me a big hug. Ah, Mom, smells so good. A scent of high-end perfume I had never smelled before wafted over me. One sniff and you knew it was the kind of luxury fragrance where “one milliliter of this is enough to feed you for two months.” “Wow, you are so cute! This skin, this little mouth, these eyes! Hey, I think I’ve seen you somewhere before.” She let go of me, cradled my face, and examined it from left to right, her emerald ring rubbing against my face. Huh? I smiled sweetly: “Hello Auntie, I’m Mia. Maybe I just have a common face, so I look familiar.” Arthur’s mom patted her head: “Oh, I saw you in Arthur’s art studio!” Hiss. This Auntie must definitely have mistaken me for someone else. I have zero artistic cells, so I never go to art studios. But I didn’t contradict her. Anyway, just smiling foolishly was enough. At the dinner table, Arthur’s mom was still incredibly extroverted. She made me, a normal person, feel socially anxious. “Oh my, these ribs are good.” Auntie put a few more ribs into my bowl, which was already piled like a mountain: “Try them quickly, if you like them, let Arthur cook them for you every day.” Uh… That really isn’t necessary. “So when are you two moving in together?” I almost spat out the rib I was eating. Arthur answered speechlessly: “We just got together.” Auntie: “How long have you been together?” Arthur: “Three months.” Auntie: “How old is she?” Arthur: “October 10, 2006.” Auntie: “Where is she from?” Arthur: “Hangzhou.” The mother and son went back and forth. It was like a rapid-fire Q&A session. Auntie: “What do you like about her?” Arthur: “Brave, humorous, cute, pretty, smart, hardworking, persistent…” I saw Auntie reveal a meaningful smile: “Not bad, you memorized it very well.” Arthur picked up a chopstick full of shredded potatoes: “Not as well as your background checks.”

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I was stuck in traffic and arrived late to the restaurant, just in time to hear the new female intern badmouthing me through the crack in the private dining room door. “Mark is, what, in his thirties? He’s always hovering around me at work. He thinks he can hit on me? Like he even deserves a chance? I’m not going to humor him!” “In a minute, I’m going to order ten portions of the most expensive dishes on the menu. Whatever we can’t finish, we’ll pack up and take home! I’m going to make Mark foot the bill!” Everyone in the room cheered, praising her for being a “Gen Z icon taking down toxic management.” I silently let go of the door handle. I stood outside and listened until she had racked up an $18,000 tab before finally walking away. After leaving, I sent a message to the department group chat: “I have a family emergency, so I won’t be joining the dinner tonight.” “Here is the $1,000 the company allocated for our department’s annual dinner. Eat well and have a great time, everyone.” 1 I sat in the back of a cab, watching the notifications pop up endlessly on my phone screen. The “Marketing Dept Family” group chat had completely exploded. Three minutes ago, I sent those two messages, transferred the $1,000 via a payment link, and immediately left the group chat. But I forgot there was another chat—the one without any management in it. Right now, that chat was refreshing with dozens of messages per second. The intern, Chloe, had tagged me dozens of times: “Mark, what the hell is this? You were literally at the door and you just left?” “Are you that much of a cheapskate? You’re the department manager, you were supposed to pay for this dinner anyway!” “Who is $1,000 going to feed? Are we supposed to order off the dollar menu?” “Get back here and pay the bill right now! Don’t make me look down on you!” She followed it up with a few pictures. Australian lobster sashimi, one for every person. Three bottles of imported wine, each costing thousands of dollars. The table was overflowing with top-tier, premium seafood. Just minutes ago, standing outside the private room, I heard her perfectly clear. Chloe had been practically shouting when she ordered: “I want this, this, and this. All the most expensive ones! Ten portions of each!” “Waiter, open all those bottles of wine and let them breathe!” “What are you guys so scared of? Someone else is paying today! Our Manager Mark is loaded. He wants to hit on me, so he better be prepared to bleed a little cash. It’s the least he can do!” The room erupted in laughter and cheers. Someone tried to play peacekeeper: “Chloe, can we even finish all this? Mark isn’t even here yet.” Chloe’s voice was shrill: “If we can’t finish it, we pack it up and feed it to our dogs! I’m teaching this creepy older boss a lesson today. He needs to know I’m not someone to mess with!” “Yeah, exactly! Chloe is right. Gen Z doesn’t hold back!” “Mark is always so stingy at the office anyway. It’s about time we bled him dry.” I had released my grip on the door handle. I had fully intended to walk in. Even though I was late, I would have bought a round of drinks as an apology and moved on. But I had lost my appetite for this dinner. My phone vibrated aggressively. Dave, one of the senior employees, texted me privately: “Mark, did you really leave? The food is already being served. The bill is pushing twenty grand. If you aren’t here, who’s going to pay?” I replied: “Whoever ordered it pays for it. The company budget was $1,000, and I sent it all to the group.” Dave: “Stop messing around. Chloe is just a young, naive kid. Why are you stooping to her level? Hurry back. The waiters are standing here with the receipt and it’s getting really awkward for everyone.” Me: “I’m not the one feeling awkward.” Dave: “You’re leaving everyone hanging! The wine is already opened, we can’t return it!” Me: “Chloe said she wanted to teach toxic management a lesson. I’m giving her the opportunity to do exactly that.” I put my phone on silent and shoved it into my pocket. The cab driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Where to, man?” “Home.” The car merged into the night traffic. I closed my eyes, my brain echoing with Chloe’s arrogant voice. I was thirty-two this year. I had worked at this company for eight years, grinding my way up to the position of department manager. Chloe was an intern who joined a month ago. She was pretty, but her work ethic and competence were a complete disaster. She’d print the wrong documents and accidentally delete vital data from spreadsheets. Because she was new, I gave her extra guidance. Whenever I went to meet clients, if it made sense, I brought her along so she could learn the ropes. And somehow, in her mind, that morphed into me “hitting on her” and being a “creepy boss.” It even became her justification for squandering twenty grand. Eighteen thousand dollars. I had savings, sure, but I wasn’t a walking ATM for an entitled brat. My phone lit up again. An incoming call from Chloe. I declined it. She called again. I blocked her number. A moment later, Kevin, the deputy manager, called. Kevin and I had never seen eye-to-eye. He was always gunning for my position. I answered it. Kevin couldn’t hide the smugness in his voice: “Mark, buddy, that was a pretty low blow. Everyone is waiting for you, and you just bail? You left a whole room of people hanging to dry.” 2 “I had an emergency.” “What kind of emergency is more important than the team dinner? Chloe is practically crying, saying you’re bullying the new girl.” “I gave the $1,000 budget.” “A thousand bucks? The table is looking at an $18,000 bill! Who’s paying the rest? Are we supposed to split it? That’s gonna ruin everyone’s holiday budget!” “Whoever ordered it pays.” “Mark, you’re a manager. Take some responsibility. Chloe is new, she doesn’t know the rules. You’re a veteran, are you saying you don’t know the rules either?” “I know the rules perfectly. The company policy is a $1,000 limit for department dinners. Anything over that is the responsibility of whoever ordered it.” “You’re really not coming?” “No.” “Alright, Mark. You’ve got guts. This isn’t over.” Kevin hung up. I looked out at the neon lights blurring past the window. In the past, I had taken on too much responsibility. I took the blame for everything, cleaned up everyone’s messes, and spoiled this team so much they thought I was a pushover. When I got home, I took a shower and fell straight asleep. It was the best sleep I’d had in a long time. The next morning, I arrived at the office right on time. As soon as I walked in, I could feel the tension in the air. Everyone was staring at me. Their eyes were filled with disdain, anger, and a healthy dose of schadenfreude, waiting for a show. Chloe was sitting at her desk. Her eyes were red and swollen; she had clearly been crying. Seeing me, she shot up from her chair and slammed a folder hard onto her desk. “Mark! Are you even a man?!” The office instantly fell dead silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing, all eyes glued to us. I walked to my desk, set my briefcase down, and looked at her. “Keep your voice down during working hours. What are you screaming about?” Chloe marched right up to me and pointed a finger in my face. “Don’t play dumb with me! You did that on purpose last night, didn’t you?! You said you were treating us, and then you ran away! You forced everyone to pay almost a thousand dollars out of pocket just so we could leave!” The surrounding coworkers began to close in. Dave walked up, his face dark. “Mark, you really crossed the line this time. We’re all just working-class people. How much do we make in a month? One dinner wiped out half a month’s salary. How are we supposed to survive the holidays?” A female coworker chimed in sarcastically: “Exactly. Manager Mark makes a six-figure salary, so of course he doesn’t care about a few grand. But unlike you, we actually have families to feed.” Kevin leaned against a cubicle partition, arms crossed, sneering. “Mark, when everyone was scraping together money last night, they cursed every ancestor in your family tree. Chloe is just an intern. She doesn’t have savings; she had to max out her credit card. As a leader, you really let us down.” I looked at their furious faces. When they were stuffing their faces with lobster last night, they certainly didn’t look like this. Back then, they were cheering, praising Chloe for a job well done, waiting for me—the designated sucker—to foot the bill. I looked at Chloe. “When did I ever say I was paying?” Chloe’s eyes widened. “You didn’t have to say it! When the group was notified about a dinner, isn’t it an unspoken rule that the boss pays? And when I was ordering, you didn’t stop me!” “I was stuck in traffic.” “That’s just an excuse! You just wanted to see me humiliated! You were taking revenge on me for rejecting your advances!” Chloe raised her voice for the whole floor to hear. “Everyone, judge for yourselves! Is a petty, vindictive man like this fit to be a manager?!” “Advances?” I asked, my voice flat. “When have I ever made advances on you?” “Don’t deny it! You’re always calling me into your office, and you insist on taking me out to see clients. Wasn’t that just you having ulterior motives? Because I wouldn’t sleep with you, you held a grudge and set a trap to screw me over!” Chloe grew more agitated as she spoke. Her tears fell on command, perfectly playing the role of the victim. 3 The whispers in the office grew louder. “That’s disgusting. Using his authority to harass a female subordinate.” “He looks so professional, I didn’t expect him to be such a creep behind closed doors.” “Guys like him should be fired!” Taking her to see clients was because she was new to the marketing department and needed to learn the business. Calling her into my office was because her weekly reports were completely incoherent, and I had to walk her through the edits line by line. And in their eyes, that had become “ulterior motives.” “Chloe, if you’re going to speak, you better have proof,” I said coldly. “You ordered all that food last night yourself. Ten portions of the most expensive items on the menu. You specifically said you were going to teach corporate a lesson and have everyone pack the leftovers home. What, now that you can’t afford the bill, you’re throwing mud at me?” “I was just trying to liven up the mood!” Chloe shrieked. “Besides, I thought you were going to pay for it! Who knew you were so cheap! If you couldn’t afford it, you should have said so! Stop pretending to be a big shot!” “The company budget for the dinner was $1,000. I transferred the entire amount to you guys.” “What is $1,000 going to do?! That doesn’t even cover one bottle of wine!” Chloe pulled a stack of receipts from her purse and slammed them onto my desk. “The total was $18,500! Minus your $1,000, that leaves $17,500! You have to pay this! Refund everyone their money right now!” I didn’t even glance at the receipts. “Whoever ate it, pays for it.” “You…!” Chloe was shaking with rage. “You backstabbing coward! You’re not even a man!” “Mark.” Kevin walked over and patted my shoulder. “Don’t make this a bloodbath. We all work in the same department; we see each other every day. Yeah, it’s a lot of money, but it’s not like you can’t afford it. Just treat it as paying to make a headache go away. Settle the bill. If this reaches the big boss, it’s not going to look good for you.” He was threatening me. He was threatening my career. If this had been the old me, prioritizing departmental harmony and the “bigger picture,” I might have pinched my nose and actually paid the damn bill. But looking at Kevin’s hypocritical smile, Chloe’s righteous, entitled greed, and my coworkers acting like a mob ready to lynch me… I suddenly felt that this job, this manager title, was completely meaningless. “Kevin, if you’re feeling so generous, why don’t you pay it for her?” I stared him down. Kevin’s face stiffened. “Mark, that’s uncalled for. You caused this mess. Why should I pay?” “I caused this mess?” I laughed. “Chloe ordered the food. Chloe opened the wine. You guys are the ones who put it in your stomachs. I didn’t eat a single bite, didn’t drink a single drop, and didn’t even step foot in the restaurant. How is this my mess?” “Because you’re the manager!” Chloe screamed. “Managers are supposed to take responsibility!” “Managers take responsibility for the work. Not to foot the bill for your unchecked greed.” I swept the receipts off my desk onto the floor. “I am not paying a single cent.” “Ah!” Chloe let out a piercing scream, acting as if she had suffered the ultimate indignity. “Mark! You just wait! I’m going to report you to HR! I’m going to let the whole company know what a scumbag you are!” She spun around and sprinted toward the General Manager’s office. Kevin looked at me and shook his head. “Mark, you’re finished. Chloe has connections upstairs, and you know how the current social climate is. Once this blows up, you’re not going to survive it.” The coworkers dispersed, returning to their desks and whispering among themselves. “Grab the popcorn.” “Manager Mark is definitely going down for this.” “Serves him right. Who told him to be so cheap.” I sat down and turned on my computer. Report me? Perfect. I was just worrying I wouldn’t have a chance to blow this wide open. 4 I opened my phone and found the audio recordings I had saved last night. I recorded them while standing outside the private room. Initially, I just wanted to send them to the boss to explain the situation, but I hadn’t expected them to be this useful now. In the recording, Chloe’s voice was crystal clear: “He thinks he can hit on me? Like he even deserves a chance? I’m not going to humor him!” “In a minute, I’m going to order ten portions of the most expensive dishes…” “Whatever we can’t finish, we’ll pack up, I’m going to make Mark foot the bill!” I transferred the audio files to my computer as a backup, and then I started drafting an email. It wasn’t a resignation letter. It was a formal work report. A report detailing the recent budget overruns in the marketing department, the blatant insubordination of an intern, and how certain employees attempted to exploit a company dinner for corporate embezzlement. Half an hour later, the HR manager notified me to go to the conference room. When I walked in, Chloe was already sitting across from the General Manager, sobbing uncontrollably. The GM, Mr. Peterson, was a balding man in his fifties who hated conflict and loved sweeping things under the rug. Seeing me, Peterson frowned. “Mark, what’s going on? A simple team dinner, and you let it turn into this?” Chloe interrupted, “Mr. Peterson, you have to help me! Mark is bullying me! He purposely set a trap to screw us over, and made us all lose so much money! And… and he also…” She bit her lip, hesitating dramatically. Peterson tapped his desk impatiently. “And what?” “He sexually harassed me!” The conference room went dead silent. Peterson’s face instantly darkened. In the corporate world, financial disputes can be smoothed over. But the moment the words “sexual harassment” are dropped, it crosses a red line. “Mark, is this true?” Peterson stared me down. I pulled out a chair and sat down, meeting his gaze. “No.” “You’re lying!” Chloe pulled up a few screenshots on her phone and handed them to Peterson. “Mr. Peterson, look, these are our chat logs! He’s always messaging me late at night, insisting on driving me home! When I said no, he started making my life a living hell at work!” Peterson took the phone, his frown deepening. I already knew exactly what those messages were. It was just me asking, “Did you get home safe?” after a late shift, or saying, “I need that proposal on my desk first thing tomorrow morning.” But with some strategic cropping, normal workplace concern and professional demands could easily be twisted into something sinister. “Mark, explain yourself.” Peterson pushed the phone toward me. I glanced at it. Exactly as I thought. She only showed the parts where I asked, “Where are you?” or “Do you need a ride?”, completely deleting the voice memos before that where she whined, “Manager Mark, I can’t get an Uber and I’m so scared!” “It’s taken out of context,” I said. “Mr. Peterson, you can review the full chat history.” “I deleted it!” Chloe said loudly. “Those disgusting messages, I felt dirty just looking at them! Good thing I was smart enough to take screenshots first!” “So you’re playing the ‘my word against yours’ game?” I looked at Chloe. She avoided my gaze, crying even harder at Peterson. “Mr. Peterson, I’m a young woman, my reputation is everything! If I wasn’t pushed to the brink, why would I ever speak out about something like this? Now the whole department knows what kind of creep he is, how am I supposed to keep working here?” Peterson sighed, took off his glasses, and rubbed them. “Mark. Regardless of the details, you handled yesterday’s dinner extremely poorly. You’re a leader, you need to be magnanimous. Chloe is a new kid, she doesn’t know any better. You need to be the bigger person.” Just as I suspected. Sweeping it under the rug. “So, what is your proposed solution, Mr. Peterson?” 5 “Let’s do this. You cover the bill from last night. As for the harassment allegations… since there’s no hard evidence, Chloe, don’t go spreading this around, it’s a bad look for everyone. Mark, you apologize to Chloe, and we’ll consider this matter closed.” I almost laughed out loud. I’m supposed to pay almost twenty grand out of pocket, and apologize? That’s his idea of conflict resolution? “Mr. Peterson, I’m not paying a dime. And I am certainly not apologizing.” I looked Peterson dead in the eye. “First, I didn’t order the food. Second, I never harassed her.” “Mark!” Peterson slammed his hand on the desk. “What kind of attitude is this? I am trying to protect you! If this blows up, the company will have to fire you to protect its reputation! If you get branded with a sexual harassment label, how are you ever going to find another job in this industry?” “Exactly!” Backed by the GM, Chloe’s arrogance flared up again. “If you don’t pay up and apologize, I’ll expose you on TikTok! I’ll let the internet be the judge! Let’s see how you show your face in public after that!” “Expose me?” I looked at Chloe. “How exactly do you plan on exposing me?” “I’ll post it on TikTok, I’ll post it on Instagram! I even have the title ready: Shocking! Creepy Boss Sets Trap for Gen Z Intern After She Rejects Him, Forces Her to Pay $18,000 Dinner Bill!” Chloe looked incredibly smug. “I actually have a lot of followers. The second I post it, you better prepare to be canceled!” Peterson’s face changed. “Chloe, stop this! We still have to protect the company’s reputation!” “That depends on how Manager Mark behaves.” Chloe crossed her arms, looking like she had me entirely by the throat. “Either you pay the $17,500, plus an extra $7,500 for my emotional damages, and we settle this privately. Or, I post the video, and we go down together!” Looking at her face, the last shred of pity I had completely vanished. This was extortion. Blatant, textbook extortion. “Peterson, you heard her.” I pointed at Chloe. “She is extorting me.” Peterson looked awkward, but still tried to persuade me: “Mark, just pay it and make the problem disappear. Twenty-five grand isn’t going to bankrupt you. Don’t ruin your life over a petty dispute.” “And if I refuse?” “Then you are refusing to follow company directives!” Peterson’s face darkened. “Mark, think very carefully about the consequences.” “I have thought about them very carefully.” I stood up and straightened my suit jacket. “Since Chloe wants to expose this, let her. I’m actually really looking forward to seeing who gets canceled.” With that, I turned and walked toward the door. “Mark! You get back here!” Peterson roared from behind me. “If you walk out that door today, don’t bother coming to work tomorrow!” “Fine by me.” I walked out of the conference room without looking back. Back at my cubicle, I grabbed an empty box and started packing my things. The coworkers around me whispered, looking at me like I was a dead man walking. Kevin sauntered over, feigning sympathy. “Mark, why do this to yourself? Why go to war over money? Why fight with the boss? If you leave now, all your years of hard work are going down the drain.” “Kevin, you don’t need to play the good guy.” I dropped a framed photo into the box. “You’ve been drooling over this position for years, haven’t you? It’s yours now.” Kevin couldn’t even hide the grin forming at the corners of his mouth. “Oh, come on, don’t be like that. I actually wanted to help you, but you’re just too stubborn. Keep in touch, yeah?” Chloe walked out of the GM’s office, a victorious smile plastered on her face. She stopped in front of me, looking down at me as I packed. “If you had known this was going to happen, why didn’t you just act right? Mark, if you had just been a good boy and paid the bill last night, none of this would be happening. Now look at you! Lost your job, ruined your reputation, and you still have to pay the money! If you don’t pay, I’ll bring people to your house to make a scene every single day!” She leaned in close to my ear, lowering her voice. “Let me tell you a secret. My cousin runs with a gang. If you don’t cough up the cash, I’ll send him to pay a little visit to your family.” 6 My hands stopped moving. I looked up at her. “Are you threatening my family?” “So what if I am?” Chloe sneered. “Scared now? If you’re scared, hurry up and give me the money! And not just the amount I said earlier. I’ve changed my mind. I want $25,000! Not a penny less!” I stared at her face, twisted by sheer, unadulterated greed. Perfect. Before this, I had planned on leaving a little margin of mercy. Now? There was absolutely no need. “Chloe, remember the words you just said.” I picked up my cardboard box and took long strides toward the elevator. Behind me, Chloe’s mocking laughter echoed: “Act tough all you want! You’re just a stray dog!” The elevator doors closed. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Attorney Bennett? I have a few cases I want to retain you for. Yes, it involves extortion, corporate embezzlement, and defamation. Evidence? Oh, I have more than enough evidence.” After hanging up, I opened another group chat. It was my college alumni group, filled with friends who worked in media and public relations. I sent a message: “Hey guys, I’ve got a massive scoop. Exclusive drop. I’ve got audio, video, the works. Someone wants to ‘take down toxic management,’ and I’m going to help her out.” When I got home, I didn’t sit idle. I organized the audio recording from outside the restaurant last night, the hidden recording I took in the conference room today, and the screenshots of Chloe insulting me in the group chat. Especially the part where she threatened my family. Although I didn’t have audio of that specific moment, there was a security camera right outside the conference room. From that angle, it was more than enough to capture her lip movements. This lawsuit alone would be enough to ruin her. At 3:00 PM. Chloe made her move. She posted a video on TikTok. In the video, she was weeping, looking fragile and beautiful, accusing me of workplace bullying and sexual harassment. The title was pure clickbait: 【Gen Z Intern Stands Up to Toxic Culture, Gets Targeted! Creepy Boss Traps Interns with $18,000 Dinner Bill!】 The video was masterfully edited. She only showed the massive receipt and the two messages I sent in the group chat. Her voiceover was choked with tears: “I’m just a recent grad, an intern… I barely make minimum wage… Manager Mark was always making inappropriate hints at me. When I refused him, he purposely bailed on our team dinner and left me with a massive debt…” “He even threatened me, saying that if I didn’t sleep with him, he’d make sure I was blacklisted from the industry…” The video went viral insanely fast. Within two hours, it hit 100,000 likes. The comment section was a firing squad aimed directly at me. “Why don’t trash men like this just die?” “Dox him! Post his info!” “My heart breaks for this girl. It’s so hard for Gen Z to survive in the workplace.” “This is the reality of corporate America. Disgusting patriarchy.” My phone was blown up with calls from unknown numbers. Thousands of abusive text messages flooded in. People even found my private social media accounts and spammed the comments. Peterson sent me a text: “Mark, look at what you’ve done! The company’s phone lines are blowing up! Post a public apology immediately! Take full responsibility! Or the legal department will sue you for damaging the company’s reputation!” I didn’t reply. I was waiting. Waiting for the heat to get just a little bit higher. Waiting for Chloe to think she had achieved total victory and completely lowered her guard. At 8:00 PM. Chloe went live on TikTok. I checked the viewer count. Over 100,000 people were watching. She was playing the victim on stream, thanking the internet for their support, and conveniently pinned her Venmo and CashApp links, asking for “crowdfunding” to help pay off the restaurant debt. “Thank you guys so much, I really had no other choice. I had to borrow money from all my friends just to cover that $18,000. Now I have to pay off all these credit cards…” “That guy Mark got fired, but he still hasn’t paid me back. He even threatened me…” “If you guys hit the goal for the TikTok Universe gift, I’ll leak his home address!”

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Three years ago, my sister-in-law ran off with another man right after giving birth. My brother went crazy looking for her for a long time, but eventually, he disappeared without a trace too. Recently, my niece fell into a dry well while playing. I quickly called an excavator for rescue, but my mom stopped me: “Don’t dig! Something bad will happen!” Everyone thought my mom was just being superstitious. But unexpectedly, while rescuing my niece, they dug up a skeleton. 1 My mom’s face turned ashen, and she trembled uncontrollably. I frowned, pulled her aside, and asked: “Mom, what’s wrong?” The look she gave me was full of terror. “Chloe, this…” Seeing everyone’s eyes turn to us, I smiled naturally. “Mom, don’t be afraid. Who knows how many years this skeleton has been here. The police will investigate and find out.” I motioned for her to relax. Then I handed my niece over to my mom and told them to go home first. As soon as my mom left, I heard the neighbors whispering behind me. “A few years ago, her daughter-in-law ran off with a man. Could that have been a lie? Did she die here?” “No wonder her son searched for so long without any news.” Noticing me standing nearby, they immediately shut their mouths. Three years ago, right after my sister-in-law gave birth, she finished her confinement month and ran off with a man. My brother couldn’t accept it and went crazy searching for her everywhere. He was gone for years, and his contact with the family was sporadic. Eventually, even he vanished without a trace. For these past few years, my mom and niece have been supported by the money I earned. Hearing these speculations, I felt a sudden tension in my heart. The police arrived very quickly and immediately set up a cordon. The forensic examiner was checking the bottom of the well. An older officer walked towards the crowd. “Who found this skeleton? Whose property is this?” Everyone pointed at me. His gaze fell on me, and he asked: “How did you find it?” I took a deep breath, gathered my thoughts, and said: “My niece was playing and accidentally fell into this dry well. I called an excavator to rescue her, and that’s when we found this skeleton.” The man nodded and took notes, continuing without looking up: “Has anyone gone missing in the past few years?” The onlookers instantly exploded, immediately bringing up my runaway sister-in-law. They described it vividly. The officer frowned and looked at me again. “Your sister-in-law ran away three years ago? And there’s been no news of her since?” My face instantly froze, and I nodded stiffly. Just then, the forensic examiner at the bottom of the well reported: “Time of death: Three years ago.” “Age: Around 25-30 years old.” Suddenly he shouted in surprise: “I found something else.” He picked up a wedding ring with tweezers and handed it to us. My face instantly drained of color. 2 “Do you recognize this?” I nodded. “This is my sister-in-law’s wedding ring.” In the interrogation room, I recalled my sister-in-law just after she gave birth three years ago. My dad sighed constantly at home. “Just a girl? And she ruined her body and can’t have any more? Is our Su family line going to end here?” My dad, who was hoping for a grandson, was so angry he fell seriously ill. The illness came very fast and fierce. My usually strong and healthy dad didn’t even last a week before he passed away. Before he died, he held my brother’s hand and pleaded: “Son, you must have a boy to continue the Su family line.” Hearing this, my sister-in-law, who hadn’t even finished her confinement month, turned pale. After my dad’s funeral, my brother started forcing himself on my sister-in-law, who was still recovering. It caused a huge scene, and my sister-in-law’s family came over twice. But after finding out it was about having a child, they didn’t ask much. Until one time my brother came home drunk and started beating my sister-in-law again: “If you can’t carry on the Su family line, what’s the point of keeping you around?” Hearing this, something different appeared in my sister-in-law’s eyes. She started fighting back against my brother’s domestic violence. But my sister-in-law had been malnourished since childhood and was relatively weak. Compared to my strong and healthy brother, the difference was significant. That day’s domestic violence ended with my sister-in-law covered in bruises. The day my sister-in-law ran away, I happened to be running errands in town. By the time I returned to the village, I heard from the neighbors that she had run off with a man. When I entered the house, I saw my mom holding the child, cowering and sobbing uncontrollably. My brother was throwing things around, trembling with rage. A few close relatives were gathered around, all trying to console him: “If the wife runs away, let her run. She can’t have kids anyway, so it’s a good thing you can find another one.” My brother was gritting his teeth in anger. “I won’t let this matter go so easily.” Then he took the child and went to my sister-in-law’s family home to make a huge scene. He forcefully took back the three thousand dollar bride price he had given them. Hearing this, the officer in front of me frowned deeply. “So you’re saying your sister-in-law was scared of being beaten by your brother, and that’s why she ran away?” “Isn’t it? If she stayed any longer, my sister-in-law really would have been beaten to death by my brother. Isn’t it normal for her to find a chance to run?” But the police officer’s next sentence made my entire body go cold instantly. “Your sister-in-law had no chance to contact the outside world. How did she connect with the man who took her away?” 3 The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point. “According to our investigation, your sister-in-law is traditional in her thinking and hasn’t seen much of the world. So how did she plan such a detailed escape?” I hadn’t thought deeply about this, and was stunned. “Then maybe someone else helped her make contact?” Just then, someone knocked on the door and handed him a few documents. After reading the contents, Officer Zhang, the older officer, changed his expression slightly. He glanced at me and said: “The skeleton was examined and found to be male. It’s not your sister-in-law.” This time it was my turn to be surprised. “If it’s not my sister-in-law, who else could it be?” “My sister-in-law always treasured her wedding ring. Even I haven’t touched it.” He then continued reading the rest of the documents, his expression growing more solemn. “We took DNA from the skeleton and your niece. It confirms a father-daughter relationship.” Hearing this, I was so shocked I stood up abruptly. Then I said in disbelief: “What? This skeleton is my brother?” “But that’s impossible. When my brother went looking for my sister-in-law, he still contacted the family.” Ever since my sister-in-law ran off with that man, my brother couldn’t swallow his anger. I don’t know who he heard it from, but he found out someone had seen my sister-in-law down south. My brother went crazy, took all the money in the house. He also said he wouldn’t come back until he found my sister-in-law. Then he took two sets of clothes and left the house. From then on, my brother never came back. My mom was worried sick and asked all the villagers who came back from working outside. But there was no news at all. Officer Zhang’s eyes were full of scrutiny. He glanced at me and continued: “But the DNA test between the skeleton and your mom does not support a mother-child relationship.” Hearing this, my mind went completely blank. My first reaction was that my sister-in-law had cheated. “I didn’t expect my sister-in-law to look so honest. After marrying my brother, she always managed the household chores at home, but behind our backs, she did such a shameless thing.” I was instantly filled with anger. But why would this man die in that dry well? 4 Officer Zhang shook his head and explained: “Your mom said your brother wasn’t her child, but the identity of the skeleton still needs to be confirmed.” I immediately got anxious. “That’s impossible. Since I was little, my parents always said I was picked up, and my brother was their biological child. They told me to repay them well when I grew up.” Officer Zhang’s eyes were a bit complex. “According to your mom’s confession, you are her biological child.” In an instant, my mind felt like it exploded again. Since I was little, I was instilled with the idea that my brother came first in everything. So every time I came home from school, I would work non-stop. On the other hand, my brother didn’t have to do anything, and it didn’t matter if his grades were poor. My parents doted on him very much. If he wasn’t their biological child, how could this be? Seeming to see my confusion, Officer Zhang spoke up: “When your mom had her first child, she gave birth to a girl. Your dad favored boys over girls, so he secretly swapped the baby with someone else’s.” I was instantly stunned, taking a long time to process this. No wonder my parents, who favored boys over girls, would agree to let me go to college. At the time, my aunt even pointed at me and said: “Brother, sister-in-law, I really don’t understand you. Why let a girl go to college? It’s better to marry her off early and collect a bride price.” A look of conflict flashed in my parents’ eyes, but they ultimately didn’t do that. Even though I paid for my tuition and living expenses with loans and part-time jobs. Their willingness to give me this opportunity to go to college moved me for a long time. Thinking about it now, it wasn’t my parents discovering their conscience. It was because I was their biological child, and they just happened to awaken a tiny bit of parental love at that time. Officer Zhang continued to flip through the identification materials and said: “The skeleton’s right leg has a traumatic bone injury, and the cause of death is a severe impact to the head. But traces of poisoning were also found on the skeleton.” “And your brother injured his right leg when he was twenty. The injury and location are consistent.” I was so nervous my hands trembled slightly, trying hard to keep my face calm. “So this skeleton is my brother?” My relationship with my brother has never been good. When we were young, he caused trouble, and I got beaten; he stole money, and I got scolded. Because of his framing, I was punished by kneeling on the ground for 2 hours in 100-degree weather. He just treated me like a servant to be ordered around. Officer Zhang didn’t answer me. Instead, he changed the subject and brought up the runaway sister-in-law again: “You helped your sister-in-law escape, didn’t you? Otherwise, how could a rural woman who doesn’t know anything leave so smoothly?” 5 My heart almost missed a beat. I smiled awkwardly: “Officer Zhang, you need evidence when you speak. Besides, what does this have to do with that matter?” He paused slightly and voiced a shocking speculation. “Your sister-in-law’s wedding ring was found at the scene. We suspect she is the criminal suspect. So if you helped her escape, you are an indirect accomplice.” Hearing this, I deflated like a punctured balloon and slumped into the chair. I couldn’t believe things would turn out like this. Officer Zhang’s sharp eyes stared at me intently, and he continued: “You said your brother contacted the family after he went out? But we found no communication records at all. You’re lying.” Saying this, he clasped his hands together and leaned back in his chair. I instantly felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. He was right. I did lie about this. Since my brother went looking for my sister-in-law, he had never contacted me. But my mom was always very worried. To comfort her, I pretended to receive messages from my brother. It’s been like this for the past few years, and my mom never suspected anything. “So, the last time you saw your brother was also three years ago?” I nodded in confirmation. “Did anything else special happen at that time?” I fell into deep thought, trying to remember. Suddenly I remembered a detail that I had overlooked all this time. “Before my brother left, he seemed to have a fierce argument with my mom. I was just coming back from outside holding my niece. When they saw me, they immediately shut their mouths.” “That night, my brother unprecedentedly wanted to take care of my niece himself, snatching her from my hands. But he had never taken care of her before. I was worried and told my mom. She didn’t say much, just told me to go to bed early, and then left the house alone.” Officer Zhang quickly took notes, occasionally looking up to ask for details. But after three years, my memory was a bit fuzzy. Upon getting this information, Officer Zhang immediately contacted someone to verify. A moment later, news came from the other side. “Your mom said that day your brother drank too much and wanted to sell your niece, but she disagreed, and an argument broke out. So when she knew your niece was taken by him, she chased after him.” “Your brother stepped on a bear trap near the dry well, and your mom snatched your niece from him. But after taking your niece home and going back, your brother was gone.” 6 My brother had indeed said before that he wanted to sell my niece for money. At the time, I thought he was joking. I didn’t expect him to actually do it. Just then, a female police officer hurried in. “The girl brought back earlier had an allergic reaction to something she ate and has been sent to the hospital.” I immediately stood up anxiously. “Did you guys feed her peanuts just now? My niece is allergic to peanuts.” The female officer immediately apologized, and then took us straight to the hospital. When we arrived, I saw my mom taking care of her nearby, followed by two police officers. Officer Zhang glanced at my niece, who was out of danger, and then kept looking at me. He asked: “Is your niece the only one allergic to peanuts in your family?” I instantly froze. It was my mom who answered for me. “Chloe is also allergic to peanuts. When she was little, she accidentally ate peanuts and had allergic reactions several times.” I saw the officers exchange glances, and I felt a sense of dread. “Chloe Su, please leave a blood sample for testing.” Under the guidance of the police officer, I was forced to leave a blood sample. Then my eyelids kept twitching wildly. I suddenly felt that some things really couldn’t be hidden anymore. The next day, I was brought to the interrogation room again. Watching Officer Zhang walk in holding a report, I felt a bit restless. He sighed and stared at me, saying: “This report shows that you and your niece have a mother-daughter relationship. Can you explain this?” I involuntarily felt a bit panicked. I sighed deeply. It was finally discovered. Officer Zhang frowned and continued: “The DNA of that skeleton has been compared with the sample your brother left at the police station, and the result is out. If you confess now, perhaps there’s still a chance for a reduced sentence.” Hearing this, I suddenly laughed. “That’s right, my niece is indeed my child. And my sister-in-law miscarried due to domestic violence shortly after confirming her pregnancy.” Clang. The teacup in Officer Zhang’s hand fell to the floor. “Then that skeleton must be my brother, right?” He nodded stiffly. “Compared with your brother’s DNA sample, it’s a match.” Then he asked in disbelief: “Your niece is the child of you and your brother?” “Yes.” I answered crisply, letting out a long sigh. “How did you get pregnant?” The voice asking the question was a bit shaky, and he involuntarily leaned back. That sentence ripped open another large gash in the bottomless darkness.

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My parents were cowards their entire lives. The only person they ever dared to throw their weight around with was my sister-in-law. They firmly believed: “She’s been chasing your brother since high school. She can’t live without him.” When they got married, my mom didn’t contribute a single cent. She even shamelessly took over the master bedroom that my sister-in-law had paid to renovate. My sister-in-law didn’t make a fuss about it. Because of that, my mom thought she had completely dominated this “pushover.” She bragged to everyone she met about how capable my brother was, landing a beautiful, successful wife who actually paid her own way into the family. But what they didn’t know was that every late night, after they had made things difficult for her, my brother would drop to his knees and beg my sister-in-law for forgiveness. Like a dog wagging its tail, begging for pity. In the second year of their marriage, my sister-in-law never came back. And neither did my brother. 1 My sister-in-law was my brother’s high school classmate. They had been together since college, dating for seven years. Whenever my mom brought her up, she always had a look of absolute certainty. “I saw her back then. Following your brother around with a huge smile, greeting me so enthusiastically.” “Your brother said they were just classmates, but I could tell even then she was throwing herself at him.” My sister-in-law really did do a lot. My brother admitted as much himself. “She’s too good to me.” He said that from Chicago to Boston, and then to New York, through all their moves, she handled everything. Renting apartments, buying furniture, settling in—she put in both the money and the effort. She worked hard, got promotions quickly, and eventually made twice as much as my brother. But she never minded. Even when it came to getting married, she took the initiative. In our rural town, taking in a daughter-in-law meant treating her like royalty. From the engagement to the wedding, money usually flowed out like water. But my sister-in-law was different. She loved spending money on our family. The first time she visited, she gave each of us a pearl necklace, packed in exquisite boxes. Seeing that our house was too dilapidated to be a proper bridal home, she paid out of pocket to have it fully renovated, inside and out. Later, when discussing the dowry, she only asked for ten thousand dollars. But the moment my mom heard that, she started crying poor: “Ten thousand? Where are we supposed to get that kind of money? Is she trying to drive us to the grave?” My brother got annoyed. “Mom, ten thousand is already the absolute minimum she could ask for under pressure. Any less, and she can’t justify it to her parents.” My dad, who usually took great pride in my brother, also pulled a long face. “It’s not that we don’t want to give it, but we’ve been paying for your education all these years. Where would we get savings?” “Son, Penny has a good temper. Just go coax her a little. She’s twenty-eight, a year older than you. Don’t you think her family is anxious?” “Mom,” my brother tried to reason. “Penny makes her own money. We just need to show some respect and do things properly so she feels valued. Won’t she be even more filial to you in the future?” “Filial?” My mom acted like she had heard a joke, her mouth twisting into a sneer. “Once she marries in, she’s a member of the Miller family. Isn’t it her duty to be good to her in-laws? Why should we have to buy that with money?” “What if she decides not to marry me?” My mom laughed, a shrewd glint in her eyes: “She’s been with you for so many years, everyone in town knows it! Who else is she going to marry? She knew our family’s financial situation from the start. I don’t believe for a second she’d throw away her reputation over a little money! If you won’t talk to her, I’ll go do it myself.” Terrified she would actually go and ruin everything, my brother bit the bullet and talked to her himself. When he came back, his face was ashen. And my sister-in-law, shockingly, asked for nothing at all. My mom excitedly slapped her thigh. “Really? I knew Penny was a good girl. Tell her not to worry, Mom will definitely love her like my own daughter from now on.” My brother didn’t reply and silently went into his room. But my mom was bursting with smugness, unable to hide her grin. “See, I told you. The more educated they are, the thinner their skin. They’re so easy to manipulate.” 2 On the day of the engagement, the bride’s relatives filled the room. But my mom stubbornly changed the agreed-upon $1,700 “meeting gift” to $1,100. She shoved the thin red envelope into my sister-in-law’s hands, sugarcoating her words: “$1,100. It’s a good omen, meaning you’re one in a thousand. You must accept it.” The bride’s parents’ faces instantly darkened. My brother anxiously pulled at her: “Mom! We agreed on seventeen hundred!” “This has always been the tradition around here!” She acted wronged instead, staring pointedly at my sister-in-law. “Penny, you’re not actually complaining it’s too little, are you?” My sister-in-law reached out to stop her parents, who were about to explode. The corners of her mouth lifted very slightly, and she pushed the envelope back. “Mrs. Miller, I can’t take this money. Leo and I can make our own money. It’s better if you two keep this for your retirement.” At the time, my mom completely missed the underlying implication in my sister-in-law’s words. She put up a fake show of declining twice, then turned to the in-laws with a radiant smile: “You’ve raised such a sensible daughter!” And just like that, the marriage was settled amidst my mom’s smug laughter. As soon as the guests left, she couldn’t wait to show off to the neighbors: “Oh my, our daughter-in-law is just too sensible. She knows we old folks have it hard, so she absolutely refused to take any money. She said as long as she’s with Leo, she’s perfectly happy.” Her smug face clearly broadcasted how capable she thought her son was. He didn’t have to spend a dime to marry a beautiful, capable wife who paid her own way. It allowed my parents, who had been cowards their whole lives, to finally hold their heads high with pride. The villagers were full of envy: “The Millers really lucked out. Marrying a daughter-in-law without spending any money.” “I heard she’s very successful too, even bought a house in the city!” “Tell me about it. Unlike our daughter-in-law, who asked for tens of thousands right off the bat. I lose sleep over it every night.” Hearing this, my dad proudly shared his “experience.” “Setups and blind dates are unreliable. You have to let the kids find an old classmate. There’s real affection there, so they don’t care about money.” “Sigh, my boy isn’t as capable as your Leo. He got into a great college!” The neighbor handed him a cigarette, his face full of envy. My dad immediately put on that same foolish, cowardly smile he’d worn for decades: “It’s just the kid working hard. We’re useless.” But before the ember on the cigarette even died down, he changed the subject: “Oh, by the way, that new AC in our house, and the fully automatic washing machine? Our daughter-in-law bought them. We told her it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted. Said she wanted us to enjoy life a little.” My dad tirelessly updated his “Daughter-in-Law’s Filial Piety Log” every single day. From her single-handedly organizing the wedding, to how meticulously she took care of me, his youngest daughter. In the winter, worried I’d be cold, she mailed an electric blanket directly to our house. Whenever new packages arrived, they were usually clothes or school supplies she bought for me. She would even frequently ask my brother to transfer me some pocket money, fifty or a hundred bucks at a time, never stingy. I liked my sister-in-law. She was ten years older than me, but she seemed to see my awkwardness from afar. Sometimes, before I could even voice a need, the thing I wanted would already be delivered to me. Her kindness towards me had clear boundaries; it was never overstepping, and it never felt like charity. Whenever I got a package and excitedly shared it with my mom, she would look at me with disdain: “Look, she’s at it again. Done sucking up to the old folks, now she’s sucking up to the kid.” My dad, after a couple of drinks, would smile in satisfaction: “Oh, she’s doing all this just to please your brother. If you ask me, she couldn’t survive without him.” But I always felt that wasn’t the case. I had video-called my brother once, and I clearly saw that with just one look from my sister-in-law, my brother would become incredibly careful and cautious. 3 But my parents didn’t see it that way. They ordered my sister-in-law around as if it was their divine right. Half a month before Thanksgiving, my dad urged my brother to come home: “This is the new bride’s first holiday with us. We have to visit all the relatives, and the gifts must be adequate. We can’t let people look down on the Miller family.” My brother agreed. They couldn’t come back right away, but he mailed a massive pile of things. My mom called every day to rush them. Finally, two days before Thanksgiving, they arrived. The moment their new car parked, my mom grabbed my sister-in-law’s hand, her smile hiding thorns: “Penny, you’re finally back! Making money in the big city really is different, you can only leave at the very last minute. Anyone would think the company couldn’t run without you. How much are they paying you that you can’t even get time off?” My sister-in-law smiled and nodded: “Yeah, the company is quite generous. They just gave me a ten thousand dollar year-end bonus, so I couldn’t just take time off casually.” My mom’s smile instantly froze on her face. Her mouth twitched, but she couldn’t find a response. She unconsciously let go of her hand and turned to dig through the gift boxes in the trunk. She raised her voice, as if trying to regain control of the situation: “This box is for your aunt! That carton of cigarettes is for your other aunt!” My sister-in-law didn’t reply. Meanwhile, my dad was squatting next to a case of premium bourbon, his fingers repeatedly tracing the gold lettering, his eyes wide. “Penny, you bought this? This… this must have cost a lot, right? Look at you, we’re all family, why are you being so polite? How is an old man like me worthy of drinking this?” He looked up and grinned, revealing a dark gap where a tooth was missing. My brother quickly walked over, helped him up, and said in a low voice: “Dad, Penny bought that specifically for her father. Since we didn’t give much money when we got married, her dad was pretty unhappy. We’re using the holidays to make him feel a bit better.” The smile lines on my dad’s face instantly froze. He let out a flat “Oh” and walked away with his hands behind his back. My mom’s face visibly darkened, and she immediately looked for another reason to exert authority. “Leo,” her voice was tight. “Before it gets completely dark, hurry up and take your wife to your eldest aunt’s house to deliver the gifts. We already arranged it, they’re waiting. Don’t be disrespectful.” My brother frowned: “Mom, I just drove for eight or nine hours, and Penny is tired too. Can’t we just go tomorrow?” “What kind of talk is that?” My mom kept smiling, but her words were forceful. “Relative etiquette is more important than anything. If you don’t go, people will say your wife doesn’t know any better. You need to think about your wife’s reputation.” Before she finished speaking, she looked up at my sister-in-law. “Penny, tell me, is Mom right or wrong?” My sister-in-law looked up, still wearing that docile expression, and nodded: “I’ll follow your arrangement.” I watched my brother and sister-in-law drag their exhausted bodies back into the car. “Mom, you’re rushing them too much. Leo is clearly unhappy,” I couldn’t help but say. “What do you know?” The smile vanished from my mom’s face, replaced by a cold, calculating gleam. “When a new bride enters the house, you have to establish the rules first. Don’t think that just because she makes more money, she can look down on our family. If you don’t grind down her temper right from the start, your brother will be the one suffering later. I’m doing this for your brother’s own good.” “I think my sister-in-law is perfectly fine. Don’t go overboard,” my dad said with a dark expression, pulling a bottle of the premium bourbon out of the case. “How am I going overboard? Your mom is right. Someone like her, who starts favoring outsiders the second she makes a little money, needs to be disciplined. Her dad is a dad, and I’m not a dad?” He stiffened his neck and poured himself a small glass. I was shocked. “Dad, isn’t that the bourbon my sister-in-law bought to give as a gift?” “I’m just trying it today. What’s she going to do if I drink it?” 4 My brother and sister-in-law came back very late. My sister-in-law was shivering from the cold, and my brother was busy boiling hot water for her. She turned around, saw me, and quickly pulled a red envelope out of her pocket, stuffing it into my hands. “Here, Chloe. Your brother and I’s holiday gift to you. Wishing you peace and joy every year.” She was still smiling gently. I squeezed the envelope, my throat tightening. The issue with the alcohol felt like a heavy stone pressing against the back of my tongue. But looking at her exhausted face, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. It was my brother who noticed the open case. His face turned dark. “Dad, did you touch this liquor?” My dad shuffled out of the back room in his worn-out slippers. He reeked of alcohol, his face flushed red, and his usually hunched back was now standing straight. “So what if I touched it? The liquor my daughter-in-law bought… as the father, I can’t drink it?” My brother was trembling with anger. “Didn’t I tell you…” “Tell me what? If I want to drink it, I’ll drink it!” Perhaps the alcohol had given him liquid courage, stripping away his usual cowardice, making the veins bulge on his neck. He suddenly turned his spear toward my silent sister-in-law: “Penny, you tell me! This liquor, can I drink it or not?” All eyes were pinned on my sister-in-law. She stood quietly in the doorway, still wearing that faint smile. “Of course you can,” her voice didn’t have a single ripple of emotion. “Since it’s open, you can keep the rest of this bottle. I’ll just buy another one for my dad. But I don’t have any cash on me right now, so the envelope Leo originally prepared for you will probably have to go toward filling this hole.” The arrogance on my dad’s face vanished instantly, freezing in place. “Buy? You’re going to buy more?” My mom’s shrill voice abruptly cut in. “Did money fall from the sky, for you to waste it like this?! You wasteful, useless…” “Mom!” My brother let out a low, sudden roar, cutting her off. “It’s the holidays, what are you trying to do? Just go back to your room.” My mom glared at my brother, her face red and her neck thick with rage. “Why should I go back to my room? Look at your wonderful wife, trying to use your dad’s money to honor her own family! Does she have any manners at all?” She took a sudden step forward. “I’m going to teach her a lesson for you today.” My brother anxiously stepped in front of my parents, grabbed their arms, and without another word, shoved them toward their room. My heart was pounding in terror as I stole a glance at my sister-in-law. There wasn’t a trace of the anger I expected. She just looked at my brother’s tense back, turned around, and went into her room. I felt incredibly uneasy and couldn’t sleep. My sister-in-law’s calm, almost apathetic look was like the winter moon—cold and distant. The living room had long since gone quiet. I noticed a faint sliver of yellow light leaking from under my brother’s door. Driven by some strange compulsion, I crept closer. I heard my brother’s voice, kept extremely low, carrying a kind of broken, desperate pleading I had never heard from him before. “Honey, I know they’re being unreasonable, I’m furious too… just one last time, one last time, okay? If they keep acting this oblivious, we’ll leave immediately… I’m begging you…” That voice didn’t sound like a husband. It sounded more like a dog wagging its tail, begging for pity. My heart skipped a beat, and my suspicions were finally confirmed. As it turned out, the one being manipulated was never my sister-in-law. It was my brother. 5 The next morning, my mom woke up early and banged loudly on my brother’s door. “Leo, time to get up.” I quickly ran over and pulled her away. “Mom, Leo and Penny went to bed late last night, you shouldn’t bother them.” She glared at me, using the opportunity to scold me instead: “You have the nerve to talk? Sleeping in until the sun is high in the sky. When you get married, let’s see who can tolerate this attitude of yours!” I lowered my voice and tried to reason with her: “Mom, Penny is going to get mad if you do this. Just for Leo’s sake, give it a rest.” She looked as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world: “What right does she have to get mad? If your brother hadn’t said we shouldn’t make a scene during the holidays, you think I would have let that wasteful brat off the hook so easily yesterday? She’s lazy and ruins our finances, your brother will divorce her sooner or later!” I panicked and blurted out: “Mom, can’t you see? Leo only said that to save face! He’s absolutely terrified of Penny, that’s why yesterday…” “You ungrateful traitor!” My mom cut me off sharply, poking my forehead hard with her finger. “What kind of magic potion did she give you? Bought your loyalty with a few cheap clothes, and now you’re seeing things? Where do you see your brother being afraid of her? Of her?” Her yelling grew louder and louder. My brother walked out of the room with a dark expression and pulled her out into the yard: “Mom! Can you keep your voice down?!” Being disrespected by her son in public, my mom couldn’t save face. “Leo, you can’t spoil a woman too much. Your wife…” “Mom, what young person doesn’t sleep in nowadays? You never used to wake me up like this, why do you insist on knocking on the door now that she’s married to me?” “I’m disciplining my daughter-in-law for you! How can we let her act like she owns the place in our house?” “Enough, do you just have to cause trouble?” My brother looked utterly exhausted. “I’ll wake her up in a bit. We’re not eating at home today, I’m taking her to visit a few of my uncles.” Hearing “uncles,” my mom’s expression instantly brightened. “Yes, yes, you should go! Have your wife prepare some good stuff. Your uncles are wealthy, they look down on cheap things. Take those two bottles of premium liquor with you.” “Yeah.” My brother gave a vague reply and turned to walk back inside. She didn’t notice the profound annoyance on my brother’s face. Filled with excitement, she enthusiastically shoved all the gifts my sister-in-law had originally prepared for her own family into the trunk. Not long after, he took my sister-in-law and left. For the next two days, they always left right after waking up and only returned late at night. My mom’s smugness practically overflowed at the dinner table. “See that? That’s how you order a new bride around. Making her run around visiting relatives and learning the routes is the only way she can earn face for us!” I stared at the greasy food in my bowl and couldn’t help but talk back: “Mom, have you ever considered that maybe Penny just doesn’t want to be in this house, which is why she’d rather be out running around all day?” “She wouldn’t dare!” My mom slammed her chopsticks onto the table, her eyes wide. “It’s not up to her whether she wants to stay in this house or not. You think your brother would let her get away with that?” I gave a bitter smile and didn’t argue with her. I just hoped that once my parents’ anger subsided, they would stop causing trouble and pushing my brother away. However, the conflict exploded during Thanksgiving dinner anyway. 6 That day, the Thanksgiving dinner was already on the table when my brother finally brought my sister-in-law home. My mom looked thoroughly displeased. “Penny, come help out in the kitchen. Learn how to prepare the fish. Leo loves fish, so you’ll need to know how to make it for him in the future.” My sister-in-law didn’t move from her seat, just offered a slight smile: “There’s no need. I don’t like eating fish, and I don’t know how to cook it.” “If you don’t know how, then learn! Are you expecting Leo to serve you for the rest of your life?” My brother quickly stepped in, trying to push my mom back toward the kitchen. “Come on, Mom. If you’re too busy, I’ll help you. I like cooking, and I’m better at it than she is.” “Nonsense!” My dad sat on the sofa, pulling a long face. “Women’s work. What’s a grown man doing getting involved? You’re embarrassing yourself!” “What’s embarrassing about it?” My brother’s voice was full of exhaustion as he reprimanded my dad. “How is a man loving his wife embarrassing? You should have thrown out those outdated, feudal ideas a long time ago!” Seeing my brother’s dark expression, my dad’s lips trembled, but he didn’t say another word. I quickly went into the kitchen, helped my mom finish the fish, and brought it out. But the atmosphere at the dinner table remained stiff. My sister-in-law didn’t seem to care, picking up her chopsticks and eating on her own. Seeing that my sister-in-law wasn’t angry, my brother seemed to let out a sigh of relief, smiling as he placed a piece of ribs in her bowl. My mom watched this and suddenly let out a sharp laugh: “Penny, in the city… do you also enjoy this kind of luxury? Every meal served to you ready-made?” My sister-in-law chewed slowly, swallowed, and finally looked up, smiling gently: “Yes. Leo just loves cooking and serving me.” She paused. “When he works overtime, I hire a maid. Anyway, I can afford it.” “A maid?” My mom’s voice pitched up sharply. “Does money fall from the sky? Now that you’ve married in, that money belongs to the Miller family! How dare you waste it like that?” “The Miller family’s?” My sister-in-law gently set down her chopsticks, her voice remaining calm. “Do you still not know that everything Leo has is mine? Even he himself belongs to the Davis family now!” My mom looked at her in disbelief, her voice trembling: “What do you mean?” My sister-in-law smiled. “It means he gave me all of his money, and I used it to buy a house that’s solely in my name, purchased before we got married. He transferred his residency to my address and became a part of the Davis household. Therefore, the head of the household is me. Now, don’t you think it’s perfectly justified for him to serve me?” Dead silence fell over the dinner table. My parents shot terrified and furious glares at my brother. He took a deep breath, as if using the last of his strength: “Why are you looking at me like that? Our family is so poor, and you weren’t willing to contribute a single cent. If I didn’t pay up, what right would I have to marry a wife?” “Penny is so outstanding. What made you think she would willingly pay her own way to marry me?” My parents looked as if they had been struck by lightning, unable to speak for a long time. My sister-in-law casually finished her meal, pushed her bowl away, and went back to her room.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394503”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

On my first day back, I ran into a man in my father’s study. My father said he was someone our whole family needed to suck up to, holding enough resources to decide our family’s life or death. But I recognized him. When I was studying abroad, I had locked him in my room. And toyed with him for six whole months. 1 On the day after my father’s birthday, I timed my return carefully. I knew they didn’t want me appearing at the birthday banquet, so I simply stayed away to avoid being a nuisance. An unfamiliar car was parked in the villa’s courtyard, a place where vehicles were usually forbidden. Its aggressive parking job had crushed several of my dad’s most prized orchids. The inside of the villa was unusually quiet. The maids stood silently at attention, looking like they were preparing for battle. “Do we have a guest?” I asked. “Yes, so Miss, you’d better hurry back to your room,” said Mrs. Hughes, the most senior maid. Too lazy to argue about their attitude toward me, I lifted my foot to head upstairs to my room, but was suddenly yanked back by my suitcase. It was Olivia Vance, who had sprung out from nowhere. “Sister, I played a piano piece in front of everyone at Dad’s birthday banquet yesterday, and all the maestros present praised me. Good thing you didn’t come back, otherwise, what could you have possibly contributed?” She crossed her arms and looked me up and down. “Two years studying abroad, and your taste is still this trashy.” “Sister, you’re really an embarrassment to the Vance family.” I yanked my suitcase back and looked at her coldly: “Are you done?” “No matter what I’m like, it’s Vance blood running in my veins. But you, constantly emphasizing those things you can do, is nothing more than making excuses for your own insecurities.” I shook her off, picked up my suitcase, and headed upstairs. Just as I was about to step onto the final landing, I heard Olivia’s rapid footsteps behind me. She suddenly rushed up, grabbed my arm, and yelled: “Sister! If you’re mad at me, just take it out on me! How could you barge in and ruin Dad’s business!” “I already explained it to you! It’s not that Dad didn’t want to see you, he has important business in the study!” The urgency in her voice, the anxiety on her face—the Oscars owed her a golden statue. Funnily enough, amidst the roaring of this runaway Best Actress, my dad’s study door happened to open. He took in the entire dispute between Olivia and me. Wearing a formal suit, he glared at me viciously. Then, his face broke into an obsequious smile as he turned toward the man who had just emerged from the study. My dad’s furious glare hadn’t scared me. However, when I saw the other man, a mixed-race man in a black trench coat, the blood in my veins seemed to freeze. He slowly lifted his eyes, sharp as a falcon’s. And locked eyes with me, standing on the spiral staircase. 2 It was during my second year studying abroad in Melbourne that I picked up a man off the street. More accurately, I was forced to pick him up. In the darkness, I couldn’t see what kind of injuries he had, I could only feel the cold, hard barrel of a gun pressed against my waist. Lightning split the sky, casting an even sharper, colder light in his eyes. “Shut up and take me to a safe place, now!” I stared at him fixedly, not moving. He didn’t know that going out on a stormy night like this, I was originally looking to die. But I still took him back to my place. It wasn’t the gun against my waist that scared me, but his face, illuminated for a split second by the lightning. He was truly an unparalleled, exotic beauty. That was my only thought. Having wandered around for so long, I had seen my fair share of top-tier handsome men. But this was the first time I had seen someone with such aggressive, wild sex appeal. The more dangerous, the more captivating. Since I was going to die anyway, why shouldn’t I enjoy the eye candy heaven sent me? He was very alert. When I bandaged him, I could feel the tense muscles underneath, like an agile panther ready to spring and attack at any moment. His tan abs were sharply defined. When I placed my hand on them, he opened his eyes almost instantly. Like the alpha wolf in a pack, glinting with ferocity. But he still needed my help, so he temporarily forgave my intrusive touch. “Bandaging is done…” Halfway through my sentence, I remembered he didn’t understand Chinese. My spoken English was terrible. After I stuttered out a few words, he finally spoke, unable to bear it any longer: “Speak Chinese.” He actually understood Chinese? Without time to ponder, I continued: “Bandaging is done, but there’s not enough medicine for the next change. I’ll go buy some tomorrow.” He gave a slight nod, but didn’t put away the gun in his hand: “When you go out tomorrow, don’t draw attention.” Saying that, he pressed the gun forward threateningly. The next day, while buying medicine, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I was clearly the one who saved him, yet I ended up being viciously threatened by him. At the time, I was at the absolute rock bottom of my life, having been abandoned for the third time. The anger rising from my heart, combined with lusting after his looks, made me do the most insane thing I’ve ever done in my life— I locked up this highly dangerous man. I wanted to tame a wild beast. I find it hard to imagine now why I had so much guts back then. I can only explain it as being fueled by a massive adrenaline rush. So much so that when I mixed a sedative with his wound medicine and applied it to his injuries, my hands didn’t even tremble. Otherwise, given his sharpness, my neck would have been snapped right then and there. Perhaps he never imagined that an ordinary international student he bumped into on the street would have the audacity to lock him up. So when he woke up three hours later and saw the chains on his wrists, his first words were: “Who sent you?” And it took him a whole week to accept the fact that I truly wasn’t acting on anyone’s orders, but was purely insane and lusting after his body. He never expected that after riding the wind and waves, seeing all kinds of schemes, tricks, and monsters, he would end up being sexually assaulted by a little girl in a cramped, poor alleyway. If word got out, he’d be too ashamed to show his face anywhere. I never knew his name. I only saw the letters “Mu” on a bloodstained business card when I changed his clothes. So, I called him “Mu.” He never objected to it. That’s right, not only did I lock him up, but I also changed his clothes and took the opportunity to grope him. To be honest, on the second day after locking him up, I regretted it. The adrenaline rush was over, leaving me with a massive mess. Everyone has moments when they don’t want to live, and then they go crazy. Now the crazy phase was over, I was sober, and there was no crying over spilled milk. I could only bite the bullet and ride out my mistake. If I let him go now, he would definitely kill me; if he escaped later, he would definitely kill me too. Since I was going to die either way, I might as well take some liberties first. After all, dying under a peony flower makes even a ghost flirtatious. Ever since he found out I wasn’t an assassin sent by his enemies, his attitude became very subtle. For the first few days, he would darkly remind me that when he got out, he would flay me alive and make me die a thousand deaths. After I gagged him with a cucumber, he visibly wanted to kill me even more. But after realizing I was purely lustful, every time I changed his clothes, he would lean there, eyes narrowed, following my movements, his gaze roaming over me. Like a large carnivore assessing the prey it was about to hunt. Dissatisfied with his gaze, I lifted his tank top and rubbed him all over. I wanted him to know that right now, I was the master of this body. But the moment he moved his leg, I fell onto him in a very undignified posture. I bristled and bit him right on the neck. 3 As you can see, our past interactions were… not exactly friendly. So much so that seeing him again today, my first thought was— Run. Run away fast. That damn Olivia Vance, she just had to grab me at this exact moment. “Sister, are you leaving as soon as you get back? Mom and Dad will be sad.” “If you cause trouble, you have to admit your mistakes. Mom and Dad taught me since I was little that as a daughter of the Vance family, you have to take responsibility.” After trying to put me down with her fake-sweet act, she turned back to my dad and Mr. Mu: “Mr. Mu, my sister was a bit reckless with her management, but she absolutely didn’t mean it. I apologize to you on her behalf.” Olivia smiled sweetly, but he didn’t even spare her a glance, saying calmly: “Apologize for her?” “Who do you think you are?” I really wanted to live without manners for once, just like Mr. Mu. It feels so good. Olivia choked instantly. My dad smiled apologetically from the side: “My daughter has been living abroad year-round, without anyone to teach her properly. She doesn’t understand etiquette and has a cowardly personality. If she offended you, it’s my fault for not raising her right.” Mr. Mu remained unappreciative: “Yesterday at his birthday banquet, Mr. Vance was introducing his beloved daughter everywhere. When did he suddenly get another daughter?” That one sentence made my dad’s old face flush red. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. But before I could hide my grinning teeth, Mr. Mu shifted his gaze to me again: “Cowardly personality?” “Mr. Vance probably knows absolutely nothing about his own daughter.” I only just realized that aside from his combat skills, Mr. Mu’s verbal sparring was also top-tier. In two minutes, he scolded all three of us. The three of us were completely dominated by him, none daring to speak. Until Mr. Mu dropped his gaze onto me again: “Since you say she offended me, then let her see me out.” My dad hurriedly said: “Yes, yes, yes, Chloe, go see him out…” Before he could finish, I interrupted him directly: “I don’t understand etiquette, so I won’t see you out.” Then I grabbed my suitcase and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Back in my room, I leaned against the door, double-checking that it was locked before letting out a long breath. As tough as I acted just now, that’s how guilty I felt inside. Sure enough, people shouldn’t do bad things. Even if you do just one, it will come knocking on your door. I originally thought we were separated by mountains and rivers and would never see each other again. I never expected him to suddenly appear at my doorstep and become my dad’s company’s biggest client. A man with money and power, accustomed to being above everyone else, catching the culprit who kicked him while he was down and locked him up to play with—what would he do? I shuddered just thinking about it. Be alone with him? Even if you lent me ten guts right now, I wouldn’t dare. After living in fear for a few days, Mr. Mu still didn’t come looking for trouble. I deceptively let my guard down, becoming less vigilant. Tonight, Richard Vance asked me out to eat. The message Mrs. Hughes brought me was that it was a welcome-home dinner. I didn’t believe it for a second. Sure enough, as soon as we sat down, my mom, who hadn’t shown her face for days, scolded me. “You didn’t even come back for your dad’s birthday. Are you really that busy?” I moved my chair a bit further away: “But didn’t you guys also not want me to appear at the birthday banquet?” My mom choked on my words, turning pale: “Who said that.” I didn’t reply, just stared at her fixedly until she guiltily averted her gaze. Mom, I’m in my twenties, not a few years old. I’ve been able to read your emotions and attitudes for a long time. I got lost when I was four and was separated from them for twenty years. When I found them, I was more excited than anyone. They were probably like that at first too. Until they discovered that the university I attended was very ordinary, that I didn’t speak several foreign languages, and that I possessed no special talents. My value in their hearts plummeted. Knowing nothing about art exhibitions, unable to play the piano, not recognizing designer brands—this daughter, reunited after twenty years, gradually became the “poor relative” they couldn’t present in public. In contrast, Olivia, the adopted daughter they took in for comfort after I went missing, was the perfect high-society lady in their hearts. So they didn’t want me appearing too much. It was best if everyone didn’t know that the Vance family had a mud-covered sparrow. Olivia, acting like she was giving earnest advice, was actually fanning the flames: “Sister, no matter what, Mom and Dad are our closest blood relatives. You can’t ruin Dad’s business just because you’re holding a grudge.” ??? What a massive blame to shoulder. Reminded by Olivia, my mom reprimanded me: “Mr. Mu is our family’s biggest client. If you offend him, are we all supposed to starve?” “What kind of nonsense were you spouting at the study door that day? He’ll be here in a bit, apologize to him properly.” Wait, wait?! He’s, coming, here? I abruptly stood up: “Who did you say is coming?” “Mr. Mu?!” I stood up and ran toward the door. At that exact moment, the room door opened, and I almost slammed headfirst into the doorframe. Dodging backward hastily, I lost my center of gravity and fell backward. I was grabbed by the incoming person and yanked close. The person in front of me, like a demon from hell, smiled at me: “Don’t be in such a hurry, Chlo-e.” He recognized me. 4 The meal was agonizing; I didn’t dare lift my head the entire time. I didn’t hear a word of the pleasantries between my parents and Mr. Mu, until Mr. Mu suddenly spoke: “Miss Vance looks very much like an old acquaintance of mine.” My dad, hearing this, immediately became interested. This was a rare opportunity to bridge the gap. He hurriedly asked: “Is it a friend of yours?” Mr. Mu stared at me, a chilling smile on his face: “No, an enemy.” He twisted the thumb ring on his hand, the ruby set in the snake’s eye flashing an eerie light: “An enemy whose every bone I’ll crush if I ever see her again.” With a splat, the food in my hand dropped to the floor. Mr. Mu naturally picked up a fork, got a new piece, and placed it steadily in my bowl: “Just a joke, don’t be scared, Miss Vance.” My dad immediately smoothed things over: “Mr. Mu is truly humorous.” Olivia also chimed in at the right moment: “Mr. Mu, let me pour you some wine.” “This is an 18-year-old Triple Cask. I wonder if it suits your taste?” She watched Mr. Mu take a sip and said casually: “Dad said Mr. Mu might prefer the classic Double Cask, but I think the Triple Cask has a smoother texture and a richer finish. The distinct floral aftertaste is also more fitting for your collaboration with my dad this time.” Here she goes again. Olivia’s favorite thing to do is to show off her extensive knowledge of cigars, art exhibitions, wine, luxury brands, and so on in front of me. Mr. Mu’s large hand played with the wine glass, the golden liquid swaying slightly inside: “Mr. Vance’s daughter certainly knows her wine.” My dad laughed: “Not all of them. My youngest daughter is smart and sensitive, and likes these things. My eldest daughter is dull and completely clueless. It’s embarrassing.” “What a coincidence,” Mr. Mu gently set down the wine glass, a few drops of liquid splashing out: “I am also completely clueless.” As soon as he spoke, the father and daughter, who were naturally chatting and laughing just a moment ago, instantly became awkward. My eyes widened slightly. How could he be completely clueless. Back then, he clearly… I looked at him in shock, only to meet his teasing gaze. Is this… deliberately backing me up? Before I could finish being moved, as the banquet was ending, Mr. Mu spoke again: “Mr. Vance, your daughter looks so much like my enemy. I wonder if Mr. Vance would mind lending her to me to vent my anger?” ??? Is that something a human would say? My dad was also stunned for a moment, then braced himself and said: “Mr. Mu is joking again.” Mr. Mu laughed “Haha”, but his eyes swept over me: “Indeed, Mr. Vance saw right through me.” 5 I couldn’t stay here any longer. If Richard Vance went back, weighed the pros and cons, and actually sent me over to win Mr. Mu’s favor, I’d die even faster. Rather than staying here and being slowly boiled alive by Mr. Mu, waiting for the Sword of Damocles to drop, it was better to run away quickly. Luckily, I had just returned and most of my things hadn’t been unpacked, making it easy to pack up. If I can’t afford to provoke him, I can at least hide. No matter how many eyes and ears Mr. Mu has, he wouldn’t expect me to be so decisive and run away immediately. —Or so I thought. Just as I sneaked out of the villa, that familiar Cadillac stopped right in front of me. The window rolled down, and the person in the back seat took off his sunglasses and smiled at me: “We meet again, Chloe.” I turned and ran. Did he think I would surrender without a fight? In his dreams! Until I heard a familiar click-clack sound. The sound of a bullet being chambered. I stopped in my tracks in disbelief. We are in China, and he dares to carry a gun? “Chloe, take one more step, and guess whether I’ll shoot your leg or your foot first?” A smart woman knows when to yield. I braced myself and got into the car. I curled up in the back seat, my hands loosely tied by Mr. Mu with a necktie. It was less of a restraint and more of a tease. The streetlights outside the window flashed by rapidly, reflecting on his cold, sharp profile. Those dark brown eyes gleamed in the darkness, looking very much like a beast before a hunt, carrying a hint of danger. What made my eyes burn even more was the gun-shaped lighter he was playing with in his hand. Every time he pressed it, it made a click-clack sound like chambering a round, followed by a flame shooting up. I should have had faith in our motherland’s security. How could I fall for this bastard’s trick. Facing my indignant glare, he smiled mockingly: “A little handicraft, do you like it?” Like your a##… I cursed inwardly. Mr. Mu suddenly pinched my face: “Yes, exactly that look.” “The last time I saw a look of such unyielding defiance, it was that traitor who assassinated me and was caught by me again.” “I personally crushed over forty of his bones.” I blinked rapidly, trying my best to make my eyes look innocent. The car drove into a luxurious villa, and the iron gates slowly closed behind us with a dull thud. My heartbeat accelerated with that sound, my palms already soaked in cold sweat. I didn’t dare show too much fear, I could only keep my head down, trying to look obedient. A wise person submits to circumstances. In this situation, it was best for me to keep my tail tucked between my legs. Besides, I’m a coward by nature anyway. The lighting inside the villa was dim, and my nerves were taut. His jaw rested on my shoulder, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue against my neck. With a click, I felt a cold sensation on my neck. What did he put on me? A steel collar, attached to an iron chain on one side. Compared to the one I put on his wrist back in Melbourne, this one was clearly more degrading and controlling. But soon I realized in horror that this thing wasn’t just for restraint. Because it was tightening. Very quickly, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Was he really going to strangle me like this? He lifted a chair with one hand and sat down with his legs spread. Due to the height of the chain, I could only kneel in front of him. His long fingers stroked my cheek: “Chloe, remember what you made me say in Melbourne?”

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I found a pair of male incubus twins at the black market, but because I was short on cash, I could only afford to buy one. So, I chose the younger brother, the one with the better physique. But he didn’t like me. He wouldn’t cooperate in bed, constantly ran away, and would sneak back to the black market to complain to his twin brother: “I don’t want to stay with that woman at all. She’s ugly and broke. I’m only going to suffer if I stay with her.” His older brother sat in the center of an iron cage, the heavy chain around his neck rubbing his skin raw. Listening to his brother’s complaints, he gently chided him: “Don’t say that. The lady who bought you is very kind. Since she bought you, she definitely won’t treat you poorly. Hurry back now, don’t make her worry.” I stood quietly by the door, listening. Suddenly, my eyes met his gentle gaze, and my heart skipped a beat. Later, I sold my house and bought the older brother, too. With nowhere else to go, I took the two incubi and moved into a basement apartment. Because there was only one bedroom, the older brother voluntarily grabbed a blanket and headed for the storage closet: “Master, I can sleep in here. I was only bought because of my younger brother, anyway.” I frowned, stopped him, and after a moment of hesitation, pulled out a contract from a drawer. I looked at the brother who didn’t like me and handed it to him: “It’s too cramped in here. Why don’t you leave? This way, you won’t have to suffer with me anymore.” The man was stunned. He stood frozen, his eyes slowly turning red: “You… you only want my brother, and you don’t want me anymore?” 1 The incubus I was keeping was acting up again. He bit me. When I got up to wash my face this morning, I noticed the bite mark on my neck had turned a stark, bruised purple. It hurt just to touch it. I tried to tell myself not to care, that it would heal in a few days. But stepping into the bathroom and looking at my painfully average, ordinary face in the mirror, I couldn’t help but tear up. Kaelen despised me. He despised everything about me. My looks, my voice. He even absolutely loathed the old, rundown house I lived in. We had a huge fight last night. He lost his mind and spat the truth at me during the argument. “Evelyn, you were the one who insisted on draining your savings to buy me! I didn’t volunteer to come with you. If I had a choice, I would never acknowledge you as my master, nor would I squeeze into this godforsaken dump with you!” “You’ve been with me for a year. Up until now, do you really not feel even a little bit of affection for me?” I pressed, unwilling to give up. “No. Not a single bit.” At the time, the man was tied to the headboard, completely immobilized. Yet his eyes remained sharp, his answer resolute. The last sliver of hope in my heart completely shattered. I splashed some water on my face, took a deep breath, and wiped away the tears threatening to fall. Then, I grabbed my foundation from the counter, pumped out a tiny drop, and carefully concealed the mark on my neck. 2 Kaelen was still tied up in the bedroom. Before heading to work, I planned to untie him. I pushed the door open. The man was quietly huddled on the rug, his head lowered, his long eyelashes trembling slightly. He was probably pretending to be asleep. I walked closer, crouched down, and began untying the slipknot around his wrists. “Kaelen.” I called him softly. The man refused to acknowledge me, keeping his eyes tightly shut. “I have to go to work. I’ll untie you, but can you promise me you’ll stay home and wait for me to get back?” “Heh. If you don’t want to untie me, just say so.” Kaelen finally opened his eyes, looking incredibly impatient. I smiled helplessly and released the ropes immediately. The man seemed to be caught off guard. His striking, peach-blossom eyes stared blankly at me. “You really untied me? I didn’t even promise to stay home and wait.” He used to run away all the time. But since I held his contract, he couldn’t run far. I only tied him up because I got sick of scouring the city to find him every time. I nodded, exhausted, and compromised: “Yeah. Just remember to take your house keys.” 3 I bought Kaelen at the black market last winter. There wasn’t any special reason. I just thought he was gorgeous. Tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted—he had a great body. At the time, I had actually also noticed his older brother, Kaelen. They were twins, looking almost identical. The only difference was that Kaelen was completely healthy, while Kaeden had a slight limp in his left leg. But my entire life savings was only enough to choose one. I figured if I was buying an incubus to stay with me forever, I shouldn’t cheap out. So, I bought the most expensive one. But a year passed, and my mundane, quiet life didn’t become any happier. Instead, it brought me a mountain of stress. Looking back, I was full of regret. If I had chosen Kaeden instead, would things have been different? But that shady shop had a strict “no returns, no exchanges” policy. I sat at my cubicle, zoning out for a long time, before pulling out my phone to check my bank balance. I only had a few thousand dollars left. Whatever. Better not to think about it. 4 “Evelyn, the boss is treating us to dinner tonight. You coming?” Right before quitting time, my coworker Sarah walked over and patted my shoulder. I shook my head. She let out a delayed “Oh!” and smiled teasingly: “I forgot, you have a handsome little househusband waiting for you! He’s probably already got dinner ready, huh?” Kaelen cooking for me? It was a miracle if he didn’t tear my house down. I gave a bitter smile. Just as I was about to explain, Sarah looked highly motivated again: “That’s so nice! I have so much motivation to make money now. I’m totally going to buy a gorgeous guy to wait on me in the future.” I didn’t know what else to say, so I just offered a warning: “When you do buy one, make sure you go to a licensed, legitimate shop with a return policy. Whatever you do, do not go to the black market.” “Got it! Duly noted!” Usually, I was the first one out the door when work ended. But today, thirty minutes past quitting time, I was still dawdling at my desk, organizing my things. I kept checking my phone, opening the security cameras in my house to take a look. Sure enough, Kaelen was gone again. I was so annoyed I decided not to rush home. I walked down the street, turned down a few alleys, and wandered. Without realizing it, I had found my way back to the black market. 5 This place was a chaotic mix of the worst kind of people. Dirty and lawless. Beastmen merchants were everywhere. Some sickly ones were locked in tiny iron cages by the side of the road, the antlers on their heads half-sawn off, looking incredibly pitiful. “Hey, hey, miss! Care to take a look? A rare male elk beastman, name your price and he’s yours!” I only glanced twice before a burly merchant called out to me. Unfortunately, I was dead broke. I couldn’t help even if I wanted to, so I quickened my pace and walked deeper into the market. Following my memory, I found that shady shop from last year. It was still open for business. The boss was dozing off in a chair by the front door. I walked in, but he didn’t wake up. So, I slowed my steps and quietly sneaked around to the backyard. As soon as I stepped in, I heard a familiar male voice: “Brother, has anyone tried to buy you these past few days?” It was Kaelen’s voice. So, he was sneaking out to see his brother. 6 I stopped moving and stood behind the door, continuing to listen to their conversation: “A customer came last week and looked at me twice, but ultimately didn’t pay. I’m disabled. No one wants me.” “Brother, if you hadn’t tried to save me when we were kids, the traffickers wouldn’t have broken your leg. It was my fault for being greedy and running off to play. I dragged you down.” “Brother, I’m so sorry.” “It’s okay, Kaelen. It wasn’t your fault.” Kaeden was locked in a large iron cage, a heavy iron collar around his neck. He gripped the iron bars with both hands. Even though the collar was choking him, making it hard to breathe, he still comforted Kaelen with a gentle smile. “I’ve never blamed you. I only want you to live well. You’re free now, you’re not a commodity in the black market anymore. Forget about all the unhappy things from the past.” Kaelen squatted outside the cage, resting his arms on his knees, and let out an angry huff: “I’m not exactly free. That woman who bought me is terrified I’ll run away, so she keeps me on a tight leash.” Hearing the young man mention me. I slowly clenched my fists, my heart beating uncontrollably faster. “She’s really annoying. I’d rather stay here than be bought by her.” Kaelen frowned as he spoke: “She’s ugly, and she’s broke. The clothes she buys me are cheap knockoffs, they’re so uncomfortable.” “It’s only been a year, and I can’t even imagine spending the rest of my life with her. My life is going to be so miserable…” Before he could finish, Kaeden interrupted: “It won’t be. It’s normal for things to be tight in the beginning. The lady who bought you looked like a kind person. She definitely won’t treat you poorly in the future.” “Kind? What’s kind about her? She ties me up every day! Look at this, I still have rope burns on my wrists.” Kaelen rolled up his sleeves, pointing at the two faint red circles on his wrists. “I’ve really had enough. You have no idea what my life is like. If I could, I’d want us to switch places. You can go deal with that ugly woman.” “She’s your master. It’s her right to discipline you. And she’s not ugly. Stop talking nonsense.” “I’m just telling the truth. Who’s talking nonsense?” 7 Those words were like knives. They entered through my ears but slashed my throat. Making my throat swell and burn with acid. I couldn’t bear to listen anymore and was about to leave. My foot kicked an empty soda can, making a loud clatter. Drawing the attention of the two men inside. Kaeden looked at me first. The corners of his mouth lifted, and he gave me a gentle, obedient smile. Kaelen, on the other hand, looked awful. He stood up, looking a bit embarrassed: “You… why are you here?” I tried my hardest to look calm: “I came to take you home.” But before he could respond, I quickly turned and fled the backyard. 8 “Hey, Evelyn!” Kaelen jogged after me and grabbed the hem of my shirt. “Why are you walking so fast?” I ignored him, pried his fingers off my shirt, and kept walking. But my mind was entirely consumed by Kaeden’s friendly, gentle smile from just moments ago. Turns out he and Kaelen were actually a bit different. He had a tiny teardrop mole under his left eye. When he smiled, the mole would subtly shift upward. “Were you standing there the whole time?” “Did you hear everything my brother and I said?” Kaeden’s leg wasn’t a birth defect. He was crippled because he tried to save his younger brother. How pitiful. Much more pitiful than Kaelen. “Hey, I’m asking you a question! Why are you playing deaf?” The man’s voice suddenly rose behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I couldn’t help but frown: “I heard you. I heard everything.” Kaelen’s breath hitched. A flash of unease crossed his face, and his voice dropped significantly: “Everything I said was the truth… you literally tied me up every day.” “Yeah, it’s the truth. I’m ugly, I’m broke, and I abuse you. In your heart, I’m just an irredeemable, evil woman.” For once, I didn’t argue with him. I just agreed with his words. Kaelen fell silent. Maybe he was angry. He lowered his eyes and didn’t speak again. On the walk back, I kept glancing up at the young man, who was much taller than me. He had elegant brow bones and striking features. Even among incubi, a species known for having the highest average attractiveness, his beauty was god-tier. But the black hoodie he was wearing was a cheap knockoff. It was the same style as mine, and because it had been washed so many times, it was already pilling. Indeed, if he hadn’t been bought by a broke loser like me, his life would have been much better. If he wants to resent me, let him. 9 We returned to that rundown old house. I didn’t grab a rope and tie his hands like I normally would, nor did I scold him and forbid him from running away again. Instead, I quickly washed up, crawled into bed early, and locked the bedroom door. My mind was a chaotic mess. But it was no longer because of Kaelen. Knock, knock, knock— In the middle of the night, someone knocked on the bedroom door. “Evelyn, you’re not asleep yet, are you?” Kaelen called out to me softly through the wall. “What’s wrong? Do you need something?” “Open the door first, then I’ll tell you.” I stayed perfectly still in bed and squeezed my eyes shut. When I woke up again, I felt a shadow looming over me. Kaelen had found a spare key and opened my bedroom door. He was standing right by my bed, staring at me unblinkingly. I had no idea how long he had been standing there. I propped myself up, hugged my comforter, leaned against the wall, and curled into a ball. “What are you doing.” The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He opened his mouth, and the tail behind him swished restlessly from side to side. “Um…” “I’m sorry.” He spoke incredibly fast, as if those two words were scalding his tongue. I yawned and waved my hand: “It’s fine. I forgive you. Get out.” But he didn’t leave. He stood frozen in place. I patted the pillow next to me: “So you’re sleeping here?” For the past year, even though he resisted physical contact, we had always slept in the same room. Even when we fought, I never made him sleep in a separate bed. Maybe he wasn’t used to me suddenly ignoring him. Without a word, Kaelen pulled back the corner of the blanket and took off his pajama jacket. Then, I felt a tightening around my waist. He naturally climbed on top of me, his tail pressing against me in an almost fawning manner. “I’m really tired. Lay down and go to sleep.” I turned on my side and pulled away to create some distance. Kaelen immediately got annoyed: “Tch, it’s not like I wanted to touch you anyway.” I scooted closer to the edge of the bed, moving even further away from him. The man became even more flustered: “Also, you’re really fake.” Then he yanked the blanket twice and turned his back to me.

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