I lied to my mom and told her I was heading to college a week early. My mom gave me a suspicious look: “The boy next door goes to the same college as you, and he hasn’t left early.” I rubbed my hands together guiltily. “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?”

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I went to the hospital for my stomach issues, but the doctor held my B-ultrasound report with trembling hands: “Sir, you are pregnant.” I slammed my hand on the desk. “Bullshit! I’m a Beta! How the hell could I be pregnant?!” The doctor swallowed hard. “It’s highly likely… the father of the child is a top-tier Enigma, who forced your reproductive cavity to undergo a secondary development.” My vision went completely dark. The only Enigma in the entire city… Other than that bastard I took advantage of and slept with after he was drugged, who else could it be?! 1 The boldest thing I had ever done in my entire life was sleeping with Arthur Sterling. Afterward, I threw a fifty-dollar bill at his face and threw out a parting remark: “Mediocre technique. Take this money, buy some supplements, and try to last a bit longer next time.” That was Arthur Sterling. The untouchable heir to the city’s elite. A man whose influence reached the heavens and whose methods were notoriously ruthless. I figured if I was going to die, it was a worthy way to go. If you asked me now whether I regretted it, I could only tell you that my guts were green with regret. Especially right now. I pinched the lab report, hiding in a stall in the hospital bathroom, not even daring to breathe too loudly. And the report in my hand clearly stated two glaring words: [Early Pregnancy]. Below that was a line of small print: [Gestational age: 5 weeks. Fetus: Visible.] Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I’m a Beta! Sure, I might be a little bit more delicate-looking and have a slightly slighter build than average, but I am a bona fide Beta! I don’t even have pheromones! How the hell did I get pregnant? Asexual reproduction?! I tried to lie to myself and say it was a misdiagnosis. But my body’s recent reactions were far too honest. Lethargy, nausea, and the inability to stand even the slightest smell of greasy food. And the most fatal symptom of all: I had started craving the scent of Arthur Sterling like a madman. 2 Five weeks ago. It was a dark and windy night. My trouble-making, illegitimate half-brother, Oliver Vance, decided to drug Arthur in a desperate attempt to climb the social ladder. But the idiot lost his nerve and didn’t dare deliver himself to Arthur’s door. Terrified Arthur would kill him, he cried and begged me to go “save the day.” I was the unfavored, marginalized son of the Vance family, and I usually served as the designated scapegoat. I figured I’d just go drag the idiot out and bring him home. That would be it. Who knew that when I walked in, Arthur would already be on the verge of a total rampage? As a Beta, I logically shouldn’t have felt anything. But for some reason that night, my legs went weak the second I stepped inside. Arthur’s eyes were bloodshot. He looked at me like a starving wolf looking at a piece of meat. He called my name with a hoarse voice: “Silas?” At the time, I foolishly mocked him, oblivious to the danger. “Wow, Mr. Sterling, you sure know how to play hard. Need me to dial 911 for you?” The very next second. I was pinned to the carpet. I had practiced MMA for a few years, but in the face of absolute power, I was like a helpless little chick. “Let go of me! Arthur, are you crazy?! I’m a Beta! I don’t even have the right equipment for this!” I struggled desperately, kicking and punching. Arthur couldn’t hear a word. He bit down hard on the back of my neck—right on the flesh where a gland wasn’t even supposed to exist. It hurt so much I wanted to curse his mother. And then… Then came an entire night of nightmares. I couldn’t even remember how I managed to escape in the end. I only remembered that right before I left, to maintain my last shred of dignity, I pulled a fifty-dollar bill from my pocket with a shaking hand and tossed it onto his nightstand. Looking back now… That fifty bucks might just end up being the price I paid for my own life. 3 Footsteps echoed outside the bathroom. “Is the young Mr. Vance still inside?” It was Arthur. I held my breath, clamping a hand tightly over my mouth. Why the hell was this bastard here? Did he know I was pregnant with his… whatever this was? Impossible. I registered at the hospital under a fake name. The voice of a bodyguard came from outside. “Mr. Sterling, we saw Mr. Silas go into this room just now.” “Take the door down.” Me: “???” Hey, buddy, this is a hospital bathroom! Seeing that they were actually about to break it down, I braced myself, hit the flush button, and casually opened the stall door, pretending nothing was wrong. “What’s going on? What’s going on?” I bluffed while adjusting my belt. “What kind of fetish is this, Mr. Sterling? You like watching people in the bathroom?” Arthur stood in front of the sinks. He was dressed in a sleek black suit. Broad shoulders, narrow waist. That face of his was infuriatingly handsome, but so cold it made people shiver. He was absentmindedly playing with a lighter in his hand. When he saw me come out, he didn’t even blink. “Silas, what are you hiding from?” I felt guilty, but I forced myself to act tough. “Who’s hiding? Can’t a guy have a weak bladder?” Arthur’s gaze swept over my flat stomach. “A weak bladder?” He gave a half-smile. “In the gastroenterology department?” I froze. How did this guy even know which department I was in? “Uh… I ate something bad. Puking and the runs.” I let out an awkward laugh, just wanting to slip away. “Well, you look busy, Mr. Sterling. I’ll be going now.” I had barely taken a step. A large hand shot out in front of me. He slammed me directly against the tiled wall. Arthur leaned in. That familiar scent of cedar washed over me like a tidal wave. Damn it. My legs went weak again. I even felt a shameful urge to… rub myself against him. Was this the instinct of pregnancy?! This was way too humiliating! “Haven’t seen you in a month.” Arthur looked down at me, his tone deliberate. “Avoiding me on purpose?” My entire body tensed instantly. “Of course not! Hilarious. Why would I purposely avoid you?!” After we finished that night, I had run away immediately. Later, Oliver had gone into the room to take my place. So there was no way Arthur could know it was me. “Silas.” He asked suddenly, “Were you actually at that hotel that night too?” Was he trying to trick me? I shoved him away, reacting like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “Are you sick, Arthur?! We’re sworn enemies! Why the hell would I go to a hotel you were at? Am I some kind of pervert stalking you?” Arthur lowered his eyes, hiding the flash of disappointment in them. “I see…” His gaze landed on the crumpled lab report clutched in my fist. “What’s in your hand?” My reflexes kicked in, and I hid my hand behind my back. “Toilet paper to wipe my ass!” Arthur: “…” He frowned in disgust and finally took a half-step back. “You’d better be on time for the Vance family banquet tonight.” “Your brother Oliver caused trouble. If you don’t show up, I don’t mind going directly to the Vance family for answers.” With that, he turned and walked away. At the door, he stopped. “Also,” he glanced back at me, “eat less cold food. It’s bad for your stomach.” “Get lost!” I leaned against the wall and let out a long breath. My legs were still shaking. I couldn’t live like this. 4 The cab pulled up to the entrance of the narrow alley in the inner-city slums. The meter read twenty-five dollars. Wincing at the cost, I scanned the QR code to pay and pushed the door open. The cold wind, carrying the stench of years-old garbage from the alleyway, hit me in the face. My stomach instantly turned upside down. I leaned against a telephone pole and dry-heaved twice, but nothing came up. To save money for that damn specialist consultation, I hadn’t even drank a sip of water since morning. I climbed six flights of stairs, pulled out my keys, and opened my door. Once inside, I collapsed onto the bed. Honestly, after that night, I was terrified too. Terrified that Arthur would actually trace it back to me. After all, before Oliver went into the room, I had leveraged my status as the Vance family’s young master to mess with Arthur quite a few times. So, I had played along with the narrative. When Richard, my father, pointed at my nose and called me “shameless” and accused me of “instructing my brother,” not only did I refuse to kneel and admit fault, but I also laughed out loud. In front of the whole family, I smashed everything in sight. I even pointed at Richard’s trophy wife and said, “Keep your son on a tighter leash. Next time you use those dirty drugs, remember to save some for yourself. Who knows, if you manage to get knocked up, you might sell for a good price!” It was highly effective. I didn’t even have to pack a bag. I was thrown out the front door by the bodyguards that very night. Richard threatened to disown me and froze all my cards. It was exactly what I wanted. As long as I left that circle, I was just an ordinary, poor Beta. No one would care if a stray dog got a little fatter, or… if it got pregnant. This was the freedom I wanted. Even if the price was living in poverty. But despite all my calculations, I never factored in Arthur Sterling as a variable. Who would have thought? I’m a freaking Beta. Not only did I get screwed. I actually got knocked up. 5 My phone suddenly buzzed. It yanked my thoughts back from my memories. A transfer notification popped up on the screen, followed by a text from an unknown number. 【A thousand dollars. Go buy a decent suit. 7 PM, my car will be waiting at the end of your alley.】 It was that same deadpan tone. Like typing an extra word would kill him. I stared at the thousand dollars, a whirlwind of emotions in my chest. Do I go? Or do I stay? If I don’t go, that maniac Arthur might actually expose what Oliver did. Then Richard, to save his own skin, would definitely throw me under the bus to take the fall. But if I go, my stomach… I looked down at my still-flat abdomen. It had only been five weeks. It shouldn’t be visible. As long as I don’t throw up, as long as I don’t faint, as long as I stay far away from that Enigma and his damn intoxicating scent… It should be fine. I gritted my teeth and accepted the money. Since I couldn’t hide, I might as well go. I also wanted to see exactly what Arthur was planning. Why did he insist on dragging me into this? I struggled out of bed, rummaged through my closet, and found the old suit I was wearing the day I was kicked out. It was a bit wrinkled. While ironing it, I declared war on my reflection in the mirror: “Hold the line, Silas. You are a Beta. You don’t have pheromones. You just have a bad stomach.” “As long as you deny it to the grave, what’s Arthur going to do? Cut you open?” At 7 PM sharp. The black Maybach parked punctually at the entrance of the grimy alley. The window rolled down a crack, revealing Arthur’s cold, sharp profile. “Get in.” 6 The car stopped smoothly at the gates of the Vance estate. The moment the doors unlocked, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps. A figure in a pristine white suit came practically flying out. It was Oliver. You had to hand it to Arthur’s prestige. The car hadn’t even fully parked before the main character rushed out to welcome him. Oliver wore a practiced, shy, yet thrilled smile, making a beeline for the rear door: “Arthur, you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you for so long…” The door swung open. But the person who stepped out was me. I gripped the car door, fighting the urge to gag, and forced a smile at his frozen face: “Good evening, little brother.” Oliver looked like he had swallowed a fly. One second he was a delicate, blooming white flower, and the next, his features practically contorted out of place. His eyes widened, his shrill voice spiking instantly: “Silas?! Why is it you? Why are you in Arthur’s car?!” “Didn’t Dad kick you out? You have the nerve to come back?” Before I could answer, the door on the other side opened. Arthur stepped out with his long legs. The temperature in the air instantly dropped a few degrees. Oliver’s face-changing skills activated once again. He immediately reeled in his vitriol, shifting into the image of a startled, innocent deer. With red-rimmed eyes, he leaned closer: “Arthur… I thought you were coming alone. My brother was kicked out of the house, after all. He’s dressed like this to a banquet… I was just worried he’d embarrass you…” As he spoke, he released a subtle, almost imperceptible trace of pheromones. It was a sickeningly sweet gardenia scent. Gag. The acid in my stomach instantly surged to my throat. In the past, I just thought his scent was tacky. But now that I was pregnant, this smell was a literal biological weapon. I covered my mouth, my face turning deathly pale as I stumbled two steps back, leaning against the car and gasping for air. It was too strong. Arthur cast a cold glance at Oliver, ignoring his fawning entirely, and turned to look at me: “Feeling sick again?” I waved my hand, unable to speak, terrified that if I opened my mouth, I’d throw up. Seeing Arthur looking at me, Oliver’s face twisted with jealousy. He said sarcastically: “Arthur, ignore him. He’s just faking it. He used to pretend to be sick at home to get sympathy all the time. His body is actually stronger than a bull’s. He’s just a thick-skinned Beta…” “Shut up.” Arthur cut him off coldly. Oliver choked, stunned. He bit his lower lip pitifully. “Arthur, why are you being so mean to me… That morning, you clearly…” That morning? My eyelid twitched as I caught the keyword. Oliver really did go into the room? Arthur narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping over Oliver, his tone heavy with implication: “We definitely need to settle the score for what happened that night.” Oliver’s face paled. His eyes darted around nervously, but he stubbornly stood his ground: “Arthur, I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have taken advantage of you while you were drunk… but I just liked you too much…” I listened, completely dumbfounded. Wow. This guy really had the guts to claim it. He didn’t even have a single bite mark on his body, and he dared to take the credit? “Liked me?” Arthur let out a soft laugh, though his eyes held zero amusement. “Liked me enough to drug me?” Oliver’s legs gave out, and he almost dropped to his knees. “No… I didn’t… it was…” His panicked gaze suddenly snapped to me, and he pointed a finger in my direction, screaming: “It was him! It was Silas! He gave me the drugs! He said as long as the deed was done, I could marry into the Sterling family! Arthur, you have to believe me, I was tricked by him too!” I laughed out of sheer anger. I was just standing by the car, and the blame literally fell from the sky. My anger actually pushed my nausea back down. I stood up straight and spoke slowly: “Oliver, a brain is a wonderful thing. It’s a shame you don’t have one.” “If I actually had drugs, why wouldn’t I just use them on myself? What benefit do I get from throwing you into Arthur’s bed? Did I think my life in this crappy house was too comfortable and I just wanted some excitement?” Oliver was speechless, his face flushing bright red: “You… you’re just jealous that I’m an Omega! You’re a useless Beta, nobody wants…” “Enough.” Arthur impatiently interrupted the farce. He walked up to me, looking down with a probing gaze: “You just said, if it were you, you would have used them on yourself?” My heart skipped a beat. Crap. I talked too fast. I braced myself and forcefully spun the narrative back: “It was a hypothetical! Do you know what a hypothetical is?! I’m not a masochist, why would I want to be with a human pile-driver like…” Before I could finish, Arthur’s face visibly darkened. Oliver, listening from the sidelines, was completely lost, but he caught the gist and shrieked: “Silas, what do you mean? Are you calling Arthur a…” “Let’s go inside.” Arthur didn’t give me another chance to speak. He grabbed my wrist. “Since we’re here, let’s not make a fool of ourselves at the door.” He dragged me toward the entrance. Left standing there, Oliver was unwilling to give up. He jogged after us, trying to hook his arm around Arthur’s other arm: “Arthur, wait for me…” “Get lost.” The low growl carried the terrifying pressure unique to an Enigma. Oliver froze instantly, his face deathly pale. It was as if an invisible hand was choking him. Even his gardenia pheromones shrank back in terror. I also felt my legs go weak from the pressure. The little cub in my belly seemed to sense something, twitching excitedly. It actually moved. I clearly felt a spasm in my lower abdomen. Fuck. What kind of monster was this? It could move at five weeks?! Dragged by Arthur, I stumbled into the banquet hall. The heating in the grand hall was turned up high, mingling with various perfumes and the cloying scent of sweet pastries. The moment I stepped inside, the churning in my stomach that had just settled down roared back to life. “Ugh…” I couldn’t help it. I let out a muffled groan and bent double. Arthur paused and looked back at me. I didn’t care about his expression anymore. I shook off his hand, covered my mouth, and bolted for the restrooms in the corner. “Silas!” Arthur’s voice echoed behind me. I ignored him completely. Right now, even if the King of Heaven himself came down, he couldn’t stop me from puking. 7 Charging into a stall, I hugged the toilet, feeling like I was about to throw up my own bile. Is this what pregnancy is? Fuck pregnancy. This was a literal trial by fire. I puked until tears and snot streamed down my face. Cold sweat drenched my body, and my legs felt like wet noodles. I couldn’t even stand, forced to kneel pathetically on the tiles. I finally managed to catch my breath. I flushed, pushed the door open, and stumbled to the sinks. The person in the mirror looked like a ghoul. My face was as white as paper, my lips lacked any color, yet the corners of my eyes were shockingly red from the violent vomiting. I splashed a handful of cold water on my face. It was bone-chilling. I finally felt a bit more alive. Just as I reached for a paper towel, I heard the sound of leather shoes clicking against the floor behind me. There was an arrogant swagger to the steps. “Silas, how much longer are you going to keep up this act?” I looked through the mirror. Oliver was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, covering his nose with a look of utter disgust. Even though it was just the two of us in the bathroom, he still carried himself with the haughty air of a wealthy aristocrat. “Act?” I shook the water off my hands, leaned against the counter, and gave a weak, mocking smile. “What am I acting about? Acting like I’m throwing up for your entertainment? You’ve got some weird tastes.” Oliver sneered and took two steps closer: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. Showing weakness in front of Arthur, acting pathetic to gain his sympathy?” “Silas, you should take a good look in the mirror. You’re a Beta that no one wants. Do you really think a top-tier Enigma like Arthur would ever look twice at you?” There was that sickeningly sweet gardenia scent again. As he stepped closer, it grew thicker. My brows furrowed tightly. The nausea I had just suppressed began to stir again. “Stay away from me.” I turned my head and held my breath. “Your scent is giving me a migraine.” Oliver’s face changed, acting like his tail had been stepped on: “You’re disgusted by me? This is the pheromone of a top-tier Omega! It’s something a defective Beta like you could never possess in your entire life!” As if trying to prove a point, he deliberately released an even thicker cloud of pheromones. I was going to lose my mind. This wasn’t a pheromone; this was an emetic. I still couldn’t understand how a Beta like me had become so sensitive to pheromones. “Ugh—” I couldn’t hold it in. I turned toward the sink and started dry-heaving again. “You!” Oliver was furious. “Silas, you are truly disgusting! How dare you throw up at my pheromones…” Before he could finish his sentence. His voice suddenly cut off. Followed closely by a suppressed, agonizing sound squeezed out from his throat: “Ugh—” I froze. I even forgot to wipe my mouth, turning my head stiffly. The arrogant Oliver from a moment ago was now covering his mouth tightly, his whole body curled over like a shrimp. His face was flushed red, the veins on his neck bulging, his other hand gripping the edge of the sink in a death grip. “Ugh…” Another sound. He couldn’t hold it back this time. He shoved me aside, commandeered the sink next to mine, and puked his guts out. It was even louder than my episode. I was dumbfounded. My brain went blank, like I had been struck by lightning. I threw up because I was carrying Arthur’s seed in my belly. Why the hell was he throwing up? Did he eat something bad too? Or… A highly absurd thought popped into my head, making my scalp tingle. I stared at Oliver’s stomach, which, although flat, he was instinctively guarding with his hand. “Are you…” My voice trembled. “Are you pregnant?” 8 Oliver threw up until tears welled in his eyes. Hearing my words, his body violently stiffened. That reaction. There’s a ghost. There is absolutely a ghost here. He stood up in a panic, turned on the faucet, and haphazardly splashed his face. His eyes darted everywhere, refusing to look at me. “What nonsense are you talking about! I… I was just grossed out by your vomit!” “Who’s as filthy as you, having those kinds of thoughts in your head!” Stubborn. I narrowed my eyes, my brain working in overdrive. Five weeks ago, that night, it was just me and Arthur in the room. I was entirely certain Arthur only touched me. If Oliver was actually pregnant… Then there were only two possibilities. Either he cuckolded Arthur, and this baby wasn’t Arthur’s at all. Or, he was faking it. To solidify the lie that he was the person from that night, and to secure his place in the Sterling family, he was faking morning sickness! Regardless of which it was. This was a fatal piece of leverage against him. Suddenly, I wasn’t panicked anymore. I actually wanted to laugh. “Is that so?” “Just grossed out?” “Perfect. How about I take you for a blood test? An ultrasound?” “Or… should I call Arthur in here, and let him see how his ‘lover’ is throwing up just as enthusiastically as a useless Beta like me?” Oliver’s face went deathly pale. “Don’t you dare!” He growled, trying to sound tough but failing miserably. “Silas, if you dare say a single word in front of Arthur, I’ll have Dad break your legs!” “Tsk.” I chuckled softly. “Why so nervous? Good brother.” “I’m just concerned about your health. After all…” I leaned close to his ear and whispered so only the two of us could hear: “If this baby is born and doesn’t look like Arthur, that would be so awkward. Wouldn’t you agree?” Oliver reacted like I had poked his fatal weak spot. He violently swatted my hand away, his emotions spiraling out of control: “Shut up! Shut up! This is Arthur’s baby! I was the one there that night! Only me!” He broke. My eyes turned cold. I knew it. This idiot wasn’t just trying to steal my identity; he was actually trying to pass off a bastard child as Arthur’s. Or… he really was experiencing a hysterical pregnancy. Regardless of the truth, the waters were muddy beyond recognition now. I glanced down at my own flat stomach. I was speechless. What kind of situation was this? The actual pregnant person was terrified to admit it, while the fake one was puking his guts out, desperate to claim it. If Arthur knew the truth, he’d probably drown both of us in the river. Creak— The bathroom door was suddenly pushed open. The sound of steady footsteps echoed inside. Oliver and I turned our heads at the same time. Arthur stood in the doorway, a freshly lit cigarette pinched between his fingers. Through the swirling smoke, his deep eyes swept over the two of us. Finally, his gaze locked onto Oliver’s pale face. “Why have you been gone so long?” His voice was deep, devoid of any discernable emotion. “You’re both in here throwing up?”

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Because my breasts were too small, my mom suspected I was malnourished and dragged me to see a doctor. The doctor was my ex-boyfriend, whom I had just broken up with. His expression was cold, his tone distant: “Lift your shirt to your collarbone and undo your bra.” Then he deliberately teased me: “They are quite small.” I gritted my teeth and shifted the blame: “My breasts are small because my ex didn’t work hard enough.” The next second, I was pressed against the examination table, his voice dangerously low: “The examination wasn’t thorough enough. “Looks like I need to keep working hard.” 01 “Number 52, Chloe, please proceed to consultation room 2.” The moment the automated voice at the nurse’s station called my name, I stared at the large characters on the door plaque: [Thoracic Surgery – Dr. Arthur Vance]. I almost ground my teeth to dust. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of that lean figure through the glass door. The waistline barely visible beneath the white coat reminded me of some very NSFW scenes. Just a month ago, that waist was pressing down on me, panting “one last time.” Now, he looked like a refined gentleman, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. “What are you standing there for?” My mom slapped me on the back: “Dr. Vance is a specialist who just returned from abroad. It’s a bloodbath trying to get an appointment with him! I only managed to get this slot because his mother and I are best friends.” Before I could even ask how my mom knew his mom, I heard a cold, clear voice: “Next.” When the consultation room door opened. The man I hadn’t seen in a month was wearing a blue surgical mask, the sleeves of his white coat slightly rolled up. His eyes were indifferent, his long eyebrows slightly raised: “Follow-up?” “Consultation.” I kept my neck stiff. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his Adam’s apple bob once. “Where are you feeling unwell?” Before I could answer, my mom darted in with a quick step: “Arthur, it’s Auntie Susan. Could you take a look at my daughter? Her breasts are so small, is she malnourished?” My mom’s loud voice echoed in the consultation room. My toes had automatically curled hard enough to dig a three-story mansion into the floor. “Auntie.” Arthur adjusted his glasses: “Breast size is related to genetics, nutrition…” “Exactly!” My mom nodded repeatedly: “Do you think she might have drank the wrong formula when she was a baby?” As Arthur wrote [Patient’s family suspects formula caused breast underdevelopment] in the medical chart, My toes had already finished digging the second phase of the mansion. If I’m guilty, let the law punish me. Instead, because my breasts are too small, my own mother suspected I was malnourished and forced me to see a doctor. And the doctor was my ex-boyfriend, who I broke up with just a month ago. “I need to perform a physical examination.” Arthur stood up, giving my mom a professional smile. “Family members, please wait outside.” I clutched my registration slip, a fake smile plastered on my face. “Can I see a different doctor?” He didn’t even look up, his tone distant and cold: “Go out the door, turn right, and queue up again to register.” “Oh, no need, the queue will take forever.” My mom immediately pressed me onto the examination table: “What’s wrong with a male doctor? Why are you young people so conservative? In a doctor’s eyes, there is no gender.” I felt dead inside. In a doctor’s eyes, there is no gender, but what about in an ex-boyfriend’s eyes? Besides, he’s a thoracic surgery specialist. Does he even handle underdevelopment??? 02 Arthur reached out and pulled the privacy curtain, adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and signaled to me: “Lift your shirt up and undo your bra.” I gripped the hem of my shirt tightly, glaring at him in dissatisfaction. “You… you’re using your public office to settle private grudges!” He kept his hands in his white coat pockets, looking perfectly composed, and coldly reminded me: “Miss Chloe, first of all, you are the one who booked an appointment with me. “Secondly, I am a doctor. Treating patients and saving lives is my duty. “Lastly, is there any part of you I haven’t seen?” Me: … Fine, you win… I gritted my teeth, took a deep breath, and undid the clasp of my bra. Bracing myself, I closed my eyes tightly and lifted my shirt. His hands were slightly cold, and I couldn’t help but shiver when they touched my skin. “Don’t be nervous.” “Who… who’s nervous…” “Your heart rate is too high.” A barely noticeable smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He lowered his head, examining me very seriously. “Do you feel anything?” I turned my head to the side and huffed: “No!” “No?” He frowned, looking a bit confused. “No feeling means no feeling. Dr. Vance’s skills are too poor. We’ve already broken up, do I still have to act for you?” Unable to gain the upper hand physically, I chose to dominate verbally. “Oh? My skills are poor?” He slightly lowered his eyes, meeting my gaze through his lenses, his voice cold and deep. “Chloe, you can touch your conscience and speak.” I cursed inwardly. Isn’t my conscience being touched by you right now?! The pressure from his hands increased slightly. “How about this time?” Me: “I feel like you’re pinching me…” He looked up, stared straight at me, and sighed. “Any pain?” “No!” “Swelling or tenderness?” “No!” “Does it normally itch?” “Oh, the itchy spot isn’t there.” Me: !!! “Arthur, have you touched enough!” My face flushed red, and I pushed myself up so abruptly I almost bumped his chin: “Do you think you don’t know if I’m sick or not?” “From what I can see, there’s indeed no problem, but…” His hands finally released me, and his low chuckle suddenly echoed in the air: “They are quite small.” I gritted my teeth, refuting him defiantly: “My breasts are small because my ex didn’t work hard enough!” My waist was suddenly grabbed, and my momentum carried me right into his arms. The faint, woody scent of his cologne wafted from beneath his white coat into my nose. His breathing was a bit heavy, his voice carrying a hint of danger: “What, want me to keep working hard? So you’re trying your old tricks again?” His face bore undisguised mockery. 03 That’s right, we ended up together purely because of my relentless pestering, and he finally gave in because he couldn’t get rid of me. At that time, I was accompanying my best friend for a checkup, and I fell for Arthur’s unearthly good looks at first sight. White coat, gold-rimmed glasses, broad shoulders, and long legs—he maxed out the “forbidden desire” vibe. Plus, I have a thing for hands. Especially when he looked down, typing out a medical chart on his keyboard, those long, slender hands with prominent knuckles made my heart beat like a drum with every movement. I clung to the doorframe, gulping frantically, my heart rate soaring. I finally understood the “suspension bridge effect.” Someone build a bridge to my heart right now! My best friend, who had an irregular heartbeat from looking at male models, was forced by me to stay in the hospital for a month. From then on, I became an unofficial member of the thoracic surgery department. When I brought him bubble tea in the morning, he said the sugar content was too high. When I brought him a bento for lunch, he criticized it for being nutritionally unbalanced. When I stalked him at night for a “chance encounter,” he lectured me about my irregular sleep schedule. After I faked low blood sugar and swooned into his arms for thirty days straight, Arthur finally cornered me in the stairwell: “Chloe, what exactly do you want?” “You.” I gritted my teeth, standing on my tiptoes to pull his tie: “Yes or no? “Dr. Vance, whenever people see you, their heart rate spikes. What are we going to do about that?” Later, when I was pinned against the wall and kissed by him… I finally learned that even the most aloof flower will bite when pushed. But soon I discovered that this man was like a monk. We dated for three months before he let me hold his hand, and it took half a year to unlock kissing. Every time I wanted to communicate on a deeper level, he would use those bewitching eyes to firmly reject me: “This is too fast.” I engaged in a tug-of-war for half a year before successfully pushing him down using my feminine wiles. However, the aloof flower was anything but aloof in bed; he wore me out completely every time. Dating is supposed to be sweet, but his job was demanding. He practically lived in the operating room every day. Leaving home past seven in the morning and returning at eight or nine at night was the norm. When we got home, I just wanted to get down to business, but he still had to review medical charts, write papers, and take exams. Even a donkey on a farm would call him “boss” out of respect. At an age full of youthful vigor, I craved him! I couldn’t stand this feast-or-famine lifestyle. On my birthday, I had been fasting for half a month. I swore to take him down that day. But just as we entered the movie theater, one phone call sent him running back to the hospital. I watched the movie alone, ate hot pot alone, bursting with loneliness and grievance. I sent him WeChat messages, but he didn’t reply. When I brought him food at the hospital, he was sitting intimately with a female doctor, engrossed in discussing a medical condition. The two of them showed undisguised admiration for each other on their faces. They looked incredibly compatible. In an instant, the drive in my heart suddenly deflated. A guy like Arthur is good for a fling. But for marriage, it wasn’t a good fit. He was an outstanding doctor at a top-tier hospital, and I was just a broke writer and a sucker for a pretty face. It really was a mismatch. And at that moment, I suddenly didn’t want to sleep with him anymore. So, I brought up breaking up. When he asked why, I gave him a devastating reason: “Your skills are too poor.” Then I backhanded blocked him on all contact platforms. After we broke up, he never looked for me either. In short, I considered myself the one who dumped him. Now, accidentally booking his appointment made it look like I regretted it and was chasing him again. 04 I hurriedly reached behind my back to clasp my bra. “Dr. Vance, you’re overthinking it. My mom booked this appointment for me. “Also, I don’t play with the same man twice.” I retorted defiantly. But I couldn’t get the clasp fastened. His figure loomed in front of me, and he suddenly raised his arms to encircle my waist. He reached out and expertly fastened my bra clasp. I was caught off guard by this sudden movement. He spoke before I could, his voice cold and clear: “No need to thank me. “Practice makes perfect, that’s all.” In the past, I used to joke that he had a pair of nimble hands; not only could he wield a scalpel, but he could also unhook a bra with one hand. I gritted my teeth, deliberately acting passive-aggressive: “Dr. Vance is so considerate, even fastening a female patient’s bra.” He smiled faintly, remaining composed: “You’re welcome. “It’s also my first time encountering a female patient who came to me because her breasts were too small.” Me: … After a moment of silence, I was still trying to figure out how to retaliate. My mom knocked on the door and came in first. Seeing my complexion didn’t look good, she quickly asked Arthur: “Dr. Vance, does my daughter have some sort of condition?” Arthur retreated to a safe distance: “Auntie, don’t worry, there’s no problem.” My mom let out a long sigh of relief: “That’s good, that’s good…” Then she asked in distress: “But her sister and I are both D-cups, why is she only an A?” I silently buried my face in my hands. “It’s possible—” He held back a smile, adjusting his glasses: “She takes after her father.” The air went dead silent. My mom still hadn’t given up: “Is there really no hope for my daughter’s chest?” “I recommend eating more papaya.” Arthur’s gaze swept over me seemingly by accident, hooking a distinct smile: “Of course, auxiliary massage is also effective. “For some women, during lactation, they might experience a second growth spurt.” My mom slapped her thigh, sudden realization dawning on her: “I get it, I just need to find her a man.” Her eyes lit up as she looked at him: “Arthur, your mom told me you just went through a breakup. What do you think of my daughter?” My head buzzed. I hurriedly stopped my mom, whispering: “Mom, don’t play matchmaker randomly…” My mom stomped her foot anxiously: “I saw Dr. Vance’s profile outside. PhD, Deputy Chief Physician, successful at a young age. Most importantly, he’s handsome! What a great fit for our family’s genes! If your mom were 20 years younger, I would have snatched him up myself. “He just broke up, the rebound period is when people need comfort the most. You need to swoop right in! “Um, Dr. Vance, do you mind adding each other on WeChat? If Chloe feels unwell in the future, can she consult you online?” Arthur looked up at me. I blinked frantically, signaling him. Because he was still sitting in my blocklist right now. “Sure.” But he pulled out his phone, shoving the QR code page right in my face: “Miss Chloe, please scan it yourself.” I braced myself, took out my phone, and scanned the code. Beep. Arthur’s profile picture popped up on the screen, and under the WeChat chat page, a line of small text was glaringly displayed: The message has been rejected. You have been blocked by the recipient. “I haven’t received the friend request yet,” He reminded me. I gritted my teeth and sneakily took him off the blocklist: “Done.” He smiled and nodded: “Good. I’ll send the medical advice to Miss Chloe.” I silently rolled my eyes. Bullshit. What kind of medical advice is there for small breasts? A few minutes later, Arthur sent a WeChat message: [Comprehensive Guide to Breast Massage Techniques.PDF] [Appropriate massage can promote development and prevent breast hyperplasia.] I gritted my teeth and smiled: “Dr. Vance truly possesses a healer’s compassionate heart.” Dr. Vance: “I can provide free medical guidance.” 05 “Daughter, listen to your mother, bag this Dr. Vance!” On the way home, my mom gripped my wrist like a female demon who had caught a monk on a pilgrimage. “His dad is a university professor, and his mom is the center of my square dancing team.” “Mom, we’re not a good fit…” I clung to the car door, struggling in vain. “You haven’t even tried, how do you know you’re not a good fit?” My mom seemed to have been poisoned by Arthur. She wished she could personally catch him and throw him on my bed. The next day, while I was binge-watching shows and stuffing my face with snacks, she suddenly teleported in: “Go change your clothes. Your Auntie Xu will be here soon.” I grabbed my snacks and prepared to escape: “Then I’ll hide in my room and watch.” She pinned me down: “You kid, we have guests over, how rude would it be for you to hide!” I kept munching on my potato chips: “That’s your friend, I don’t even know her.” She grabbed me: “You know her son—” Just as she was speaking, the doorbell rang. My mom dashed over in one swift stride. The two besties started chirping the moment they saw each other: “Oh my, coming over is enough, why bring so many things?” “Well, didn’t I hear Chloe came home? I just brought some food.” “Oh, you really did. These are all Chloe’s favorites.” “Yes, yes, Arthur picked them all out. Isn’t this fate?” Until I heard a certain familiar voice: “Hello Auntie, we meet again.” My hand shook, and I instinctively looked up. Half a potato chip was still dangling from my mouth. I saw Arthur standing by the entryway, wearing a smoky gray high-waisted suit, standing behind his mom, his tie meticulously knotted. He was carrying bags large and small in his hands. He looked exactly like he was coming to propose marriage. “Oh my, this must be Chloe? So pretty!” I awkwardly greeted her: “Hello Auntie.” My mom poked me: “Go pour tea for our guests.” The two moms quickly occupied the center of the sofa. Arthur and I stood off to the side, smiling silently. “Oh my, my Chloe just loves to play every day. She’s nothing like Arthur. So young and already a Deputy Chief Physician. I heard he even skipped grades in school. Tall and handsome, Susan, you’re so lucky.” “Oh, my luck isn’t that good. I have such a sweet, considerate daughter. This one of mine is just like his dad, a real quiet type, only knows how to work every day.” The two moms started a mutual praise session. Arthur and I were quiet as mice. Seeing this, the two women said: “Oh, you young people have so much to talk about, go interact more.” “My Arthur is just too formal, doesn’t even know how to chase girls.” “Don’t be shy, you’ll get familiar slowly.” We weren’t unfamiliar at all. We’ve kissed each other’s lips raw… I silently played the quail. Arthur quietly peeled an apple. I watched his long fingers holding the fruit knife, peeling the apple like a work of art. 06 The two moms were chatting animatedly, and somehow the topic turned to us: “I heard Chloe is still single?” “Yes, she dated a guy before, didn’t even get to meet him before they broke up.” “Mine is the same, too quiet. Got dumped and still acts like nothing happened.” “That scumbag who broke up with Chloe was even worse. I heard he was flirting with female colleagues at the hospital.” I discreetly tugged at my mom’s sleeve. Mom, please say less… But she couldn’t be stopped. “I heard he’s also a doctor, right? Which hospital? Maybe Arthur even knows him?” I lowered my head and chugged water. The hand Arthur was using to hold the knife paused, and the apple peel snapped with a crack. He suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing through his glasses with a questioning look: “Is that so?” My mom complained indignantly: “Yes, and Chloe told me that scumbag’s body isn’t doing so well, right?” I almost choked to death on my water. I clutched my chest and coughed violently. Arthur raised his hand to pat my back. “Oh my, Arthur is so sweet.” “Look at these two kids, they look more and more compatible the more you look at them.” My mom grabbed Auntie Xu and bolted: “Right, isn’t it time to go dancing downstairs?” “Right, right, let’s go quickly.” 07 The two women slipped downstairs swiftly. I got up and walked toward my bedroom, with Arthur following behind me. “Dr. Vance, going into someone else’s bedroom in broad daylight, where’s your medical ethics?” I forcefully tried to shut the door. He propped his elbow against the doorframe and reminded me: “Your bedroom still has a certain someone’s Lotso Huggin’ Bear bedsheets.” “Then change them!” I glared at him: “Change them to your favorite blue sterile drapes!” A foot suddenly jammed into the crack of the door. The man used his long legs to force his way in: “Chloe, when did I flirt with female colleagues?” “My mom wasn’t talking about you anyway, don’t take it personally, Dr. Vance.” “Then why did we break up?” I kept my neck stiff and my mouth stubborn: “Poor skills, I got bored.” He suddenly leaned in, his nose almost touching my forehead: “Poor skills? Why did you have to change the sheets every time?” Me: !!! I was furious! He squeezed past me. I lifted my foot to kick him. But my calf suddenly cramped with a pop. “Ahhh!!!” I wailed and fell into his arms. God knows, a cramp really hurts enough to almost meet my great-grandmother. He caught me with quick reflexes: “What’s wrong?” “My… my leg cramped… “I’m going to die from the pain…” My arrogant attitude instantly withered. “Don’t move, relax.” He scooped me up horizontally and placed me on the bed. “Where does it hurt?” “Hiss… my… my thigh.” He kneaded the muscles above my knee with his thumbs: “Here?” I whined in pain: “Higher… higher.” His fingers moved up: “Here?” I grabbed the pillow, gritting my teeth: “Arthur, don’t take advantage…” He curled the corner of his lip imperceptibly: “It’s probably a passive muscle spasm caused by a sudden stretching of the leg. “Relax your leg.” His hands gently kneaded. Gradually, that tight, aching pain actually disappeared. I have to admit. His hands really are useful. His fingertips traced over the little strawberry pattern on my pajama pants: “Feel better?” I tried moving my leg: “Yeah, it doesn’t hurt anymore.” The cramp was on my inner thigh. Right now, the position was getting a bit ambiguous. I kicked him with my toes: “You don’t need to squeeze anymore.” But he took the opportunity to grab my ankle. His warm palm completely covered it. “It was wrong of me to leave you on your birthday, but the patient had a penetrating heart wound…” “Who wants to hear a work report!” I kicked him in the chest: “Anyway, you doctors only have eyes for your patients!” He completely didn’t understand why I was angry. Treating patients and saving lives is a doctor’s duty. In the face of human life, everything must yield. But anyone who gets stood up by their boyfriend on their birthday. And then turns around to see him smiling with another woman would be pissed off. And he didn’t even try to coax me! I turned my head away, ignoring him. “Chloe.” He suddenly looked up: “On the 21st day after you blocked me, there was a car accident patient with the same name as you. “That day, I was scared to death.” I froze. “That day I searched for you like crazy for four hours. “Finally, I found you clubbing with friends.” He lowered his eyes, carrying a bit of grievance. Like a wounded large dog. “Then I… I…” I suddenly didn’t know what to say. Things were perfectly fine. He suddenly threw me off balance. The air temperature rose sharply. He looked up and tugged at his tie. Then he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. Looking up slightly, the first thing that caught my eye was the half-open collar. And his faintly visible collarbones. He leaned forward, the corner of his lips almost brushing the tip of my ear: “Baby, don’t be mad anymore, okay?” His breath was scorching. The roots of my ears were hot and tingling. Looking at that face. I uselessly forgave him again. He leaned closer again, his voice trailing: “Baby, want a kiss?” This dog of a man is seducing me again. His fatal attraction is truly deadly. After abstaining for so long. I couldn’t wait to push him down right now. It’d be a waste not to kiss him! The faint sound of the square dancing song “Drunken Butterfly” drifted up from downstairs. It felt like we were having an affair. Mixed with the intimate sounds of kissing. It was incredibly stimulating. We kissed until the world spun. “The medical advice I sent you, have you put it into practice?” “Not yet…” His fingers roamed restlessly: “As your attending physician, I’ll guide you personally.” I suddenly remembered Arthur’s mom saying he was “too formal.” I cursed internally: What kind of formal person gropes someone while kissing? A beast in a suit!!! 08 Just as we were kissing passionately. My phone suddenly vibrated. On the other end, my mom was frantic: “Chloe, your grandma suddenly fainted downstairs!” I couldn’t care about anything else. Arthur and I hurriedly rushed downstairs. I saw my mom running around in circles with fast-acting heart pills. Arthur immediately switched to his professional doctor mode. “Did you call 911?” “Yes, yes, they’ll be here right away.” He placed his fingertips on my grandma’s wrist: “Acute myocardial infarction. “Don’t move her. Let the patient lie flat and wait for the ambulance.” With his other hand, he expertly loosened my grandma’s collar. And started CPR right there. The ambulance arrived very quickly. Our whole family followed to the hospital. We waited for a long time. Until the door to the emergency room was pushed open. “Fortunately, Dr. Vance’s emergency treatment was timely. She is out of danger. “After a few days of recovery, she’ll need a heart bypass. Dr. Vance will be the lead surgeon.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did a doctor look at Arthur and tease: “Oh, Dr. Vance, your look today is quite something.” At this, everyone finally focused their attention on us. The collar of Arthur’s shirt was halfway open. There was a distinct hickey right on his Adam’s apple. My clothes were also disheveled. In our rush out the door, we were both wearing mismatched slippers. And both of us were sporting red, swollen lips. My mom realized what happened: “You two! Were you hiding in the room kissing?” The air fell silent. Arthur awkwardly buttoned up his shirt. I coughed lightly and lied: “We… well, it’s because the spicy strips we ate were too spicy…” Everyone looked doubtful. Just then, Arthur pointed at the hospital bed: “Grandma is awake.” Only then did the group shift their focus away from us. He stepped forward: “How are you feeling now? Does your chest feel tight?” The moment my grandma opened her eyes, she met that face of his. She suddenly exclaimed: “Oh my heavens, I really must be dead, I’m actually seeing a male Bodhisattva.” My mom, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, reminded her: “Mom, this is young Dr. Vance. You had a heart attack, and he saved you. “In a couple of days, he’ll also be doing your heart bypass surgery.” My grandma realized what happened and hurriedly said: “Thank you so much, young doctor. Are you married yet?” Arthur replied politely: “Not yet…” My grandma’s eyes suddenly lit up: “You’re giving me a bypass, let me give you a bridge too. “I can’t repay your life-saving grace, but I have a granddaughter. Let her pledge herself to you.” Me, standing nearby: ??? Sigh, our whole family are huge perverts. My grandma pointed at me: “Look, what do you think of my granddaughter?” He secretly glanced at me, a smile on his lips: “Very nice.” My grandma took my hand, a look of melancholy on her face: “Chloe, I just saw your great-grandmother. She said I won’t survive this year, unless you get married to bring good luck.” Me ??? Are you for real ??? Hearing this, the two moms immediately started looking for an auspicious date on the spot: “Let them get married!!!” My grandma chimed in repeatedly: “Is the bride price enough? If not, sell the Phoebe zhennan wood your grandpa left behind.” My head was buzzing. My grandma also seemed to have been poisoned by Arthur. Lying in the hospital bed, she constantly talked about her good-luck grandson-in-law. As soon as I walked in the door, she waved the cake in her hand, showing off to me: “Chloe, look, the little cake young Dr. Vance bought for me, it’s so delicious.” I pretended to be dissatisfied: “Didn’t I buy you some too? Why aren’t you praising me?” “The ones you bought grew hair.” “That’s pork floss cake…” As we were talking, Arthur walked in holding two cups of milk tea, a gentle smile on his face: “Grandma, the milk tea you wanted.” I looked shocked: “No, old lady, you just got out of the emergency room and you’re eating cake and drinking milk tea?” She slurped her milk tea: “So what?” Me: … Arthur held back a smile and handed the other cup of milk tea to me: “Roasted brown sugar boba milk, no sugar.” Hmph, at least he has some tact. I also slurped my milk tea. Seeing the situation, my grandma grabbed my hand and started nagging again: “Chloe, I just dreamed of your great-grandmother again. She said if you get married this year and have a baby next year, I can live to be a hundred.” Me: ??? “Yesterday you said you dreamed of great-grandmother saving a seat at the mahjong table for you down there!” “They don’t conflict,” The old lady righteously pulled up her oxygen mask: “You two standing here is delaying my longevity. Hurry up and get down to business, I’m waiting to hold a baby!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394498”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My roommate and I split the cost of a lottery ticket and won seven million dollars. That night, she transferred me six dollars and said, “Bestie, buying the lottery ticket was my idea. I’ve paid you back the money you chipped in, so this lottery ticket has nothing to do with you anymore.” I laughed out of sheer anger. Just as I was about to argue with her, I noticed that the small statue of the Virgin Mary I kept on my desk had suddenly lost an arm. A broken arm on a holy statue is an omen of extreme misfortune; it seeks to save a life. My face instantly drained of color, and I told my roommate, “I don’t want the lottery ticket! I don’t want it anymore!” 1 As soon as I found out the winning numbers, I sprinted back to the dorm in high spirits. “Fiona! That lottery ticket we bought together a few days ago won!” Bursting through the dorm door, I ran over and gave her a huge hug, unable to suppress the smile on my face. You have to understand, this ticket hit the jackpot—a full seven million dollars! Even after taxes, splitting the remaining money fifty-fifty with her would be enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life! My family is just an ordinary one. My parents make about four to five thousand a month. We aren’t poor, but we’re definitely not well-off. And I’m just a broke college student living on a tight budget, always busy hunting for coupons just to order takeout. But now, this seven million dollar prize was enough to completely turn my family’s situation around and give me financial freedom. “Fiona! Seven million! Seven million! I’ve never seen so much money in my life. Let’s get packed, we’ll go claim the prize tomorrow!” I thought Fiona would be as happy as I was, but I noticed her smile wasn’t very natural—it was even a bit stiff. Then, she gently pushed me back, creating some distance. Fiona sat in her chair, tapped on her phone a few times, and said, “Bestie, I was just about to talk to you about this.” The next second, I received a transfer notification on my phone. I opened my banking app. Fiona had transferred me six dollars. While I was completely bewildered, Fiona spoke up. “It’s like this, remember? When we were shopping, it was my sudden idea to buy a lottery ticket, and I picked the store. Even though you picked the numbers, if it weren’t for my suggestion, we definitely wouldn’t have bought this specific ticket that day, right?” I nodded, covering my mouth to hide a smile, still not fully processing what was happening. “Of course! We owe this all to your suggestion!” “So, logically and emotionally, this lottery ticket should belong to me. However, keeping in mind that you chipped in for the cost of the ticket at the time, I’ve transferred those six dollars back to you!” I finally realized something was wrong. My other roommates, who had been quietly envying us, also caught on. My face turned ugly. I was almost laughing from anger. Crossing my arms, I asked her: “Fiona, are you saying you want to buy out a seven-million-dollar lottery ticket from me for six dollars?!” Fiona, who had been calm and composed, instantly changed her tune. She raised her voice and yelled: “What do you mean? If it weren’t for my suggestion, do you think you would have ever come across this ticket? Besides, didn’t I transfer the six dollars back to you? Why are you making it sound like I’m taking advantage of you?” The atmosphere instantly became explosive, completely tense. The other roommates exchanged glances, afraid of getting caught in our crossfire. My face turned red, and my neck veins bulged as I retorted, “Am I that desperate for your six dollars? If it weren’t for my six dollars back then, you couldn’t have bought this ticket either! What the hell are you barking about?” She put her hands on her hips, completely tearing off her usually gentle mask. “Chloe, I never realized you were so selfish before. Anyway, I said this ticket is mine, and it’s mine. Take the six dollars or leave it! If you don’t want it, fine!” One of our roommates couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up for me. “Fiona, I feel like… this ticket should be split fifty-fifty. After all, Chloe did put in money too…” “Shut up! Does anyone care what you think?” Fiona rolled her eyes and snapped at her. Just as I was about to continue arguing, I heard a crisp crack. I couldn’t help but look at my desk. The small statue of the Virgin Mary I kept there had lost an arm. The arm lay broken on the desk, the small statue still with its eyes closed in a serene expression. I was instantly terrified, my face turning deathly pale. My body trembling, I stumbled backward several steps. “I don’t want the lottery ticket! I don’t want the lottery ticket anymore!” 2 Seeing me finally back down, Fiona felt incredibly smug, but her words were still unforgiving. “What do you mean you don’t want it? It was originally mine anyway. Don’t act like you’re giving me charity, OK?” I put on a serious face. “Fiona, for the sake of us being roommates, I’m warning you—you better not want this ticket either. Hurry up and burn it!” As soon as I said this, not only Fiona, but the other roommates also looked at me strangely. “Get lost. What right do you have to order me around? This is my ticket, I’ll use it however I want!” I yelled loudly, “This is blood money! You’ll have the money but not the life to spend it—you’ll die!” The other roommates started chiming in. “Yeah, Chloe, this is seven million we’re talking about. How can you just say you don’t want it? Even if you don’t want it, you shouldn’t say things like that.” Another roommate, Sarah, who usually didn’t get along with me, sneered: “Stop acting, Chloe. Aren’t you just jealous that Fiona has the ticket? Blood money? I bet that statue on your desk is just cheap junk from a flea market, it broke because it’s poor quality.” “I think you know you can’t get the ticket, so you made up a lie to curse Fiona to die. I never realized you were so vicious.” Seeing people speaking up for her, Fiona’s arrogance grew even stronger. She grabbed Sarah and left, leaving one last sentence behind. “Dare to curse me? Chloe, you’re destined to be poor your whole life!” Instead of getting angry, I turned around to clean up the porcelain shards on the table first. The small statue of the Virgin Mary was smooth and rounded, its eyes slightly closed, a gentle smile on its lips, as if looking kindly upon the world. But the arm that had been extended in front of its chest was shattered into pieces, making it look twisted and strange. Back in my hometown, we have a custom. Every child who comes of age holds a ceremony at the local church, taking a specific saint as their patron. The blessed statue must be kept close, and one must maintain a heart of reverence toward it at all times. The saints are compassionate and can foretell great disasters. If something abnormal happens to the statue, it’s a warning. But if the statue’s arm breaks, it means a terrible misfortune has been encountered, and it seeks to save a life. It means the saint cannot block this great disaster, and can only break its arm to save a life, leaving alone, no longer accompanying the faithful. This means the presence of the “saint” is no longer inside the statue; it becomes an empty shell. If you want another, you can only go back to your hometown and pray for a new one. Since leaving my hometown with the statue, I had never experienced any abnormality with it. But this time, the very first abnormality was a broken arm, and it terrified me completely. I quickly called my parents and told them. They were also terrified, their voices trembling, telling me I must be careful lately. Hearing what Fiona did to me, they were furious, cursing Fiona for being ungrateful and bringing ruin upon herself. I didn’t care about the strange looks from my other roommates and complained about it with my parents. After hanging up, I warned the other roommates. “Whatever you do, do not take Fiona’s money! If you take it, you’ll die!” They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. That night, Fiona and Sarah didn’t return to the dorm, but went to stay in a hotel. I shook my head, carefully put the statue away, and waited for the next time I went home to pray for a new one. 3 Fiona was originally a somewhat famous internet influencer. That very night, she started a livestream from her hotel, showing off her seven-million-dollar lottery win to her viewers. The netizens in the livestream were incredibly envious, flooding the screen with gifts. Sarah also rode her coattails—having defended her in the dorm, she suddenly became her little assistant. For a moment, the two of them were living the high life. Fiona even twisted the story of me fighting for the lottery ticket, using it as content to complain about in her livestream. Our original agreement to split the cost of the ticket turned into me simply accompanying her to buy it. Fiona rested her chin on one hand, a look of disdain on her face, and said, “Family, who gets it? My roommate is so bizarre. She literally just went shopping with me, and when the ticket I bought won, she demanded I split it with her. Sorry, but I have no obligation to humor a giant baby roommate, OK~” “Hmph, when the time comes, I’ll definitely donate to help stray animals, but I won’t give her a cent, hehe.” The comments cheered her on. [I think she’s just jealous of you, the streamer has no obligation to help the poor.] [Supporting the streamer! Beautiful inside and out! Thanking the streamer on behalf of all the stray cats and dogs!] [I’m so sick of roommates like this, can they learn some boundaries? Not everyone has to humor her, OK?] The comments insulting me came one after another. The incident also blew up on the university forum, and someone quickly doxxed me as the person fighting Fiona for the ticket. When I woke up the next morning, I found myself completely exposed online. Harassing phone calls rang non-stop, text messages and direct messages on short-video platforms bombarded me. In just one night, my entire family, including me, was ripped to shreds online. A quick search online, and I understood the whole situation. I was instantly furious, but then I calmed down. I had to stay steady. Suppressing my anger, I called Fiona. She didn’t pick up; Sarah did. As soon as the call connected, Sarah started mocking me, “What’s up? Are you going to accompany her to claim the prize today?” “Sarah, if you guys want to die, I won’t stop you. But please don’t drag me down with you. Because of you, I’m getting cyberbullied, do you know that?” “Whoever is cyberbullying you, go find them, why are you coming to me? I didn’t insult you. Every wrong has its perpetrator, why are you venting your anger on me here?” Fine, there’s no reasoning with this type of creature. I swallowed my temper and said calmly, “I’m warning you one last time: burn the lottery ticket, and do not spend the money from it. Otherwise, you’ll regret it for the rest of your lives. You’ve provoked something you can’t afford to provoke!” “What is this ‘thing’? Tell me! Say it! Why did you stop talking? What happens if I spend the money? Will a ghost come knocking on my door, hahaha?” I lowered my voice: “Something more terrifying than a ghost.” Perhaps because my voice didn’t sound like I was joking, Sarah stopped laughing on the other end, her tone becoming a bit cautious. “Who would believe you? Besides, there are no such things as ghosts in this world!” I sharply caught the slight panic hidden beneath her words and repeated what I just said, “Something more terrifying than a ghost. It’s something you can’t afford to provoke.” She cursed me out as a psycho a few times and hastily hung up. As soon as the call ended, Maya rolled over in her bed, making it creak. I didn’t know if she heard my phone conversation just now. After a good while, there was no sound. Suddenly, Maya curiously peeked out from her bed curtains. “Chloe, is there really something more terrifying than a ghost?” 4 I didn’t answer her question directly. “The world is huge, and full of wonders. Just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. There are still many undiscovered things in this world, and all we need to do is maintain a heart of reverence toward them.” “Knowing too much isn’t good for you. You just need to remember, damn it, don’t take a single cent of the money from that lottery ticket.” Maya is a very gentle and kind girl. When I was confronting Fiona, she was the only one who dared to speak up for me, even though she was immediately shut down. My eyes took on a strange look as I slowly began, “Do you know why the statue’s arm broke?” She was confused. “Your statue? I really don’t know.” “The Holy Mother is always serene and dignified. People often call her ‘Holy Mother Mary’. Actually, she is a protector, looking after the world. She listens in all directions, hearing all cries for help. From praying for children to praying for rain, she can do anything.” “Our Lady of Lourdes brings healing, Our Lady of Guadalupe brings miracles… There are many titles for her, corresponding to the different people she saves.” “But the statues from our hometown aren’t meant for all those things. Praying to them for other things won’t work. They only do one thing, and that is to provide warnings. In fact, many people’s statues will never give a warning in their entire lives. Even a matter of grave danger wouldn’t necessarily cause it to break an arm to save a life.” I looked at Maya with a half-smile. “Guess what kind of thing could be so terrifying that a divine protector, revered for centuries, would be scared enough to break an arm to save a life, and hide away before it even arrived?” Maya thought for a moment, and an inexplicable sense of creeping dread washed over her. She quickly covered her ears and shook her head. “No, no, no, I don’t want to hear it, don’t tell me! I’m really terrified of that kind of stuff!” Fiona didn’t listen to the warning. Instead, she publicized the fact that I had warned her out of good intentions, calling me a weirdo who worshipped a statue in the dorm. She was very good at playing the internet game and manipulating netizens’ emotions. “Since someone said whoever claims this lottery prize will die, I’ll livestream the whole process on the day I claim it. Everyone is welcome to come and see if I die or not, hehe~” The gossip-hungry netizens immediately attacked me en masse, spouting all kinds of rumors and smears. Some people were genuinely curious and booked the livestream early. I really couldn’t stand her continuous slander and demanded a face-to-face confrontation with Fiona, but she deliberately avoided me, staying in the hotel every day. Now the whole internet knew she was the lucky one who won seven million. Fiona struck while the iron was hot, starting the livestream at 7 AM on the day of claiming the prize. Once the livestream started, it hit the platform’s trending page within minutes, with over ten million concurrent viewers. All sorts of gift effects flooded the screen. Fiona put on exquisite makeup, wore a Chanel-style dress, and rushed to the lottery center looking like a celebrity. Sarah had clearly forgotten the warning I gave them. Her face was flushed with excitement. She hyped Fiona up enthusiastically in the livestream, praising her as a girl blessed by luck. I stayed in the dorm watching the livestream, shaking my head. “It’s hard to persuade a damned ghost with good words. What ‘girl blessed by luck’? ‘Girl cursed by misfortune’ is more like it.” I suspect Fiona had no idea just how terrifying the things that even the divine protectors feared truly were. 5 “Congratulations to Ms. Fiona for winning the seven million dollar jackpot! Let’s give her our warmest applause! Our city’s first millionaire jackpot winner of 2026!” As soon as the voice fell, Sarah was the first to applaud, followed by thunderous applause that washed over the scene like a tidal wave. Fiona’s face was glowing with health. She confidently announced to all the citizens present and the tens of millions of viewers in the livestream: “I, Fiona, will donate three hundred thousand to our city’s stray animal protection organization! And seven hundred thousand to the child protection organization!” The applause grew even louder. Fiona posed with a V-sign for Sarah’s phone camera, her eyes crinkling in a bright smile. “Chloe, I know you’re definitely watching this livestream. I’ve claimed the seven million, and then what? And then what? You said I would die because of the lottery ticket, but aren’t I standing right here, perfectly fine?” Sarah took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire: “I think someone is just jealous, right?” The netizens in the livestream were also riled up by Fiona and her friend, and started mocking me together. I just sat in the dorm, calmly watching the screen full of mocking comments. Maya was a bit worried about me. She came over and hugged me. “I believe you. You definitely wouldn’t say things like that without a reason. Don’t mind what they say.” “Thank you. But you don’t have to worry about me now,” my eyes darkened. “Fiona can’t escape. They’re here.” “Who?” I didn’t say anything, turning around to get water to wash up. Night fell. A sudden cold front hit the usually warm March weather, and the temperature plummeted. Fiona paid the taxes, pocketed the remaining millions, and the livestream of claiming the lottery prize had not yet ended. In just a few days, her account had gained nearly three million followers, transforming her into the hottest streamer of the moment. No one believed my words. Even the other two girls in our dorm gradually started having issues with me. Smack— My washbasin was roughly kicked into the farthest corner, cracking slightly. I frowned: “What’s that supposed to mean?” The roommate rolled her eyes and arranged her own washbasin, “Nothing, just thanking you.” Before I could understand, she added sourly, “You said Fiona would be unlucky because of that ticket, and told us not to take her money. But look at her now, she’s doing great hosting her livestreams, she’s got the prize money, and she’s got fame…” From her sour tone, I seemed to understand something. “Did she say she’d give you a share of the money before?” “Hmph, what else?” The roommate rolled her eyes as she walked past me. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have to miserably use delivery coupons every day.” The others remained silent, seeming to agree with her. I didn’t reply. The next second, that roommate’s phone rang. It was Fiona inviting her to a party. Fiona had already completed the withdrawal procedures from the university, and even Sarah had done the same. “Fiona! Okay, okay! I’ll be right there!” The roommate excitedly hung up the phone and scanned the dorm. “Fiona is being generous and isn’t holding a grudge about us rejecting her earlier. She’s throwing a party right now. Anyone who wants to go, just go. Oh, right, Chloe, don’t go, she didn’t invite you.” Half an hour later, only Maya and I were left in the dorm. The next morning, I received a summons from the police. Because Fiona had died last night. 6 The big influencer who had just claimed a seven million dollar jackpot during the day died bizarrely that night. This news swept the entire internet overnight. All netizens were sighing over the short life of this young millionaire, who died before she even had a chance to enjoy her seven million. I, who had once predicted she would meet with misfortune, was naturally listed as the prime suspect. But very soon, I was released. First, because I had a solid alibi. Second, because Fiona’s cause of death was too… bizarre. An ordinary college student like me simply couldn’t have pulled it off. Fiona was literally scared to death. The party was held at the hotel where she was staying. During the party, Fiona only went to the bathroom once, and never returned. When her friends found her, her body was rigid, her pupils bulging, her mouth wide open in an expression of extreme terror, collapsed on the floor. After coming out of the police station, I kept my head down in deep thought. Based on the police’s questioning and the fragments of information circulating online, I could roughly deduce the cause of Fiona’s death. It hadn’t even had time to act; Fiona was scared to death just by seeing its appearance. “Chloe!” It was Sarah, crying with tear-filled eyes, who pushed open the dorm door. As soon as she entered, she immediately fell to her knees and kowtowed to me frantically, all traces of her former arrogance gone. “I’m sorry! You can punish me however you want, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to end up like Fiona…” “Please save me! However much money you need to save me, I’ll give it to you. Even if it means being your beast of burden for the rest of my life, I’m willing, please! I don’t want to die, my parents worked so hard to put me through college, I haven’t even had the chance to work and provide for them!” Sarah thought I would be soft-hearted. After all, I was known in the dorm for having a good temper. But when she looked up, she met my utterly cold gaze. I shook my head. “I can’t save you. I told you, anyone who spends the money earned from that lottery ticket will die.” Maya’s heart softened: “Chloe, why don’t you just help her? We’re all roommates after all.” I still shook my head without speaking. Sarah broke down crying, coughing violently as she almost choked on her own breath. I sighed, sat down on a chair, and told her, “I can’t save you. But I can tell you this: if you encounter it, do not panic. Pretend you didn’t see it, and you might just escape the first encounter.” I didn’t do this out of the goodness of my heart, but because I was also curious to know what exactly that thing was. Sarah rushed up to me, her voice filled with fear. “Who is it? Is it very scary?” “I don’t know either.” I shook my head, then looked at her meaningfully. “Scary enough to kill.” I could only tell her that much, because I wasn’t entirely sure myself. But Sarah had her own ideas. She thought that places with more people had stronger ‘Yang’ energy, so instead of staying home, she ran to the town square and started a livestream. She said there were many people around, and many people online, so that kind of thing wouldn’t dare come looking for her. The person she was co-streaming with was me. As soon as the livestream started, tens of thousands of netizens flooded in. [Waiting, do you guys think the streamer will survive tonight?] [Don’t know, but who’s that co-streaming with her?] [I went and checked, it seems to be the person who originally said whoever won the lottery would die.] [Damn, this is getting crazy. Is this lottery ticket really cursed?] [Maybe it really is?!] 7 Sarah held up her phone tripod, aiming the camera firmly at herself. Many people in the square recognized her, taking photos and whispering. But Sarah had no time for that. She sat on a bench in the square drinking soda, her eyes darting around wildly, scanning her surroundings. I asked: “Nothing unusual, right?” Sarah had just nodded when she immediately lowered her head and stayed silent. I noticed in the livestream that her body suddenly sat up rigidly, as if she had suddenly become very tense. I sharply caught onto this point. “Sarah, what’s wrong!” Without lifting her head, she said something that made the hair of every netizen in the livestream stand on end. “It’s sitting across from me.” But the netizens saw nothing; the chair across from her was clearly empty. Maya immediately burst into tears in the dorm: “It… it… it’s here! What do we do?!” I rubbed my temples: “Don’t look at it, continue what you were doing.” “Sarah, I’m asking you, what does it look like?” Hearing my words, Sarah, with a trembling hand, picked up a cup of juice from the table and drank it, but ended up choking violently. “Cough, cough, cough!” “It… it has so many hands, it’s very tall and big, its body is densely packed with hands and feet. But… but it… it looks so familiar…” I quickly pressed: “Familiar how?” Sarah looked up, facing the camera, forcing a smile that was uglier than crying. “Chloe, its face looks exactly like your statue!” The next second, Sarah’s head separated from her body, bouncing towards the edge of a flowerbed like a rubber ball. Then her arms and legs snapped off out of thin air, and Sarah turned into a bloody, mangled pile of meat. That head ignited screams across the entire square, and the livestream comments were a blur of “Holy shit.” The next second, the livestream was banned for extreme graphic violence. But I just stared blankly at my phone screen. Sarah said its face looked exactly like my statue. In an instant, all sorts of speculations flooded my mind. I couldn’t help clutching my chest, panting, my heart pounding wildly in terror. Sarah died. The police cordoned off the square, and the city’s residents were in a state of panic. Fiona’s death could perhaps be called an accident, but now that Sarah had died a bizarre, violent death in front of countless netizens, everyone who attended the party was instantly fearing for their lives. This included the other two roommates who had previously complained about me not letting them take the money. Because they had all spent money obtained from that lottery ticket. By the time the roommates brought others to look for me at the dorm, I had already taken a leave of absence and left. Right now, I was kneeling and praying in the church back in my hometown. Afraid of being in danger myself, I had rushed home overnight to devoutly kneel and complete the ceremony, obtaining a new patron statue. My parents secretly rejoiced, because these statues aren’t something you can just get if you want to; you must complete a drawing lots ceremony. If you don’t draw it, it means the saint isn’t willing to go with you, and you can only come back a year later. After getting the statue, I stayed at the church. The new small statue looked exactly like my previous one, elegant in posture, eyes closed, smiling. I placed her in the most prominent spot at the head of my bed and knelt in prayer every day. Fortunately, she indeed didn’t show any abnormalities, and I finally felt I could relax. But in the middle of the night, I suddenly heard the sound of the statue shattering. I immediately turned on the light and looked at the nightstand, only to discover that the statue I had just prayed for that morning had also lost an arm! 8 I immediately sought out the head priest of the church. Since I was born, this priest had been the head of the church. He only took one look at the broken-armed statue and immediately closed his eyes. “You must not leave the church these next few days. No matter who calls you, you absolutely must not go out. Going out means certain disaster.” I grew anxious: “Priest, I clearly didn’t spend the money from that lottery ticket. Why did my statue break an arm again?” He patted my shoulder gently, his eyes dim. “When that lottery ticket was bought, you paid half the money. Although you didn’t spend it, you are still entangled in its karma.” “It’s fine. Listen to me and stay in the church, and nothing will happen to you.” The priest’s words were a reassuring pill for me, and I slowly calmed myself down. For those few days, I ate and lived in the church, but I could still contact the outside world with my phone. Through the internet, I learned that my two roommates and the others had been desperately searching for my whereabouts. But to no avail. I had never revealed my home address to them, and my counselor naturally wouldn’t disclose it easily either. Before they could find me, disaster struck. A few days later, the first roommate died at home. Her entire body was twisted like a pretzel and hung from the ceiling fan, her liver and blood constantly dripping down from the fan. Her parents fainted from terror the moment they opened the door, and were still in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment. The second roommate vanished into thin air at home. After her sister called the police, the police searched for a long time but didn’t know where she went. It wasn’t until the family cat spent all day scratching at the rug in the roommate’s room that her sister noticed something was wrong and forcefully pulled up the rug. She discovered there was another rug underneath. Only it was bloody and mangled. A long, sticky thread of blood stretched between the floor and the rug, with several teeth stuck to it. Half a month later, everyone who attended the party was dead. The state of their deaths was gruesome, the killer unknown, and the methods extremely cruel. Meanwhile, I knelt in the church, praying devoutly every day, offering incense to the saint daily. Just as I was offering incense, I heard a very familiar voice. “Chloe, so your home is here.” My back stiffened, and I slowly turned my head to look back. It was Maya. The moment I saw her, I instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Having lived in the church for so long, I only remembered the voice belonged to a roommate, but I had forgotten which one. Seeing the massive statue in the church, Maya also offered incense following my example. “Chloe, I haven’t dared to sleep in the dorm these past few days. It’s too terrifying to be alone in the dorm, so I thought I’d come find you.” “You know about what happened to them, right?” I nodded. “I know.” After offering incense, I brought her to my quarters in the church and poured her a cup of tea. She looked around curiously. “Chloe, your village is really strange, actually having its own dedicated church.” I also drank some tea and nodded. “Because our village has worshipped only these saints since ancient times, and no other gods or buddhas. You know the custom, everyone carries a small patron statue on them. This might be because our villagers have prayed devoutly since ancient times, so the saints trust us and are willing to go with us.” Maya was still very curious and asked me: “Is that so? But I didn’t see your statue in this room. I remember you always used to put it in the most prominent place.” “Didn’t you pray for a new one when you came back?” “Can outsiders pray for a statue?” “Is it really true that the statues can only give warnings and can’t block disasters?” I froze, suddenly feeling that the Maya in front of me was making my hair stand on end.

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At noon, my online boyfriend sent me a photo of his lunch, fishing for compliments. It was a steaming bowl of braised chicken and rice. [Baby, I’m eating my lunch properly, I’m being a very good boy, hurry up and praise me~] I was just about to reply, “Good boy,” when… I noticed four big red letters printed on the tray in the photo: Lanjing Technology. My heart instantly skipped a beat. Because… the company I work for is also called “Lanjing Technology.” I froze on the spot. Come on, bro, are you kidding me? The guy I’ve been dating online for over a year actually works at the same company as me? 1 It was lunchtime, and I was sitting in the company cafeteria, happily eating my favorite braised chicken. I remembered my online boyfriend telling me that he’s too busy at work and often forgets to eat lunch. So I sent him a kind reminder: [No matter how busy work gets, don’t forget to eat lunch. Be an obedient little puppy.] Ten minutes later, my phone lit up with a message from him: [Baby, I’m eating my lunch properly, I’m being a very good boy, hurry up and praise me~] [Image] I opened the image. It was a steaming bowl of braised chicken and rice. I was just about to praise him. But then I realized there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity about this photo. After looking closely, I knew exactly where that damn familiarity came from: The four big red letters on the tray: [Lanjing Technology] And this is exactly where I work. I looked at the braised chicken in front of me, then at the photo my online boyfriend sent. Suddenly, the meat in my mouth didn’t taste so good anymore. The company cafeteria is for employees only. My online boyfriend actually works at the same company as me? I was speechless! 2 [Baby, why aren’t you praising me? (Puppy pouting face)] [I really listened to you and ate my food properly. (Puppy crying)] [Are you mad? What did I do wrong? (Puppy hiding in a corner crying silently)] My online boyfriend’s messages came one after another. I still hadn’t recovered. Although I knew we were in the same city. I never expected we would be in the same company. This damn fate! “Puppy, what company do you work for?” “Puppy, are you at Lanjing Tech?” I typed and deleted the words repeatedly. I didn’t know what to say. If I asked, he would definitely ask me where I work. He might even find out I’m also at Lanjing Tech. And then he would look for me. What should I do then? The thought of someone in the company calling me “baby” all day long made me want to die of embarrassment. Before I could even digest this fact. My online boyfriend sent another message: [Baby, you’re not ignoring me because you’re eating with someone else, are you!!!] [Baby, what’s wrong? I’m getting nervous…] To keep him from noticing anything unusual, I replied: [I was eating just now and didn’t see the messages. Good boy.] Only then did he stop bombarding me with messages. [Baby, I’ve finished eating, going back to work now~] 3 I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around the cafeteria. There were hardly any people left. Most of them were women, and there was one white-haired older man. It couldn’t possibly be him. I forced my brain to calm down and organize my thoughts. Right now, I needed to figure out a few things: First, who is my online boyfriend? Second, what kind of person is he really? Third, if I find him, should I come clean, continue dating online, or break up? (After all, it really would be awkward.) Thinking back to when we first started talking. We had kept our privacy very well. For example, we never sent selfies, and we never shared our real names or addresses. He would only send me a few pictures of his abs when I specifically asked for them. Based on this alone, it would be really hard to find out who he is. I couldn’t just go around lifting guys’ shirts to compare their abs with the pictures, right? 4 After returning to the office, I looked at my male colleagues at their desks. I shuddered. We battle it out every day like sworn enemies. If my online boyfriend turned out to be one of them, I would literally die on the spot. I scrolled through my chat history with him, looking for clues. And I actually found something. Last month, he was struggling to choose a water bottle. [Baby, I’m shopping at Global Plaza with a friend and I want to buy a water bottle.] [Help me decide, which one looks better? I’ll buy one for you too.] He sent several pictures, and I helped him choose a titanium travel mug with traditional lacquer art. To ensure my privacy wouldn’t be compromised, I politely declined his offer to buy me one. [Whatever you choose is the best, baby.] He bought that water bottle right then and there, so I just needed to see who in the company was using it. I walked around the office several times, but I couldn’t find anyone using it. I messaged him: [Are you using the water bottle you bought?] He replied very quickly: [Baby, I’m using it right now!] [Image.] The water bottle was standing right on his desk. That’s weird. Why didn’t I see it? While I was still pondering this, a message from my boss, Mr. Shen, popped up on the software: [Lin Xu, there are still some issues with the proposal. Come to my office for a minute!] When I walked into his office, Mr. Shen was on the phone: “Baby, I miss you too. Come see me at the office tomorrow.” “Oh right, Arthur is coming tomorrow too, you can catch a ride with him.” “Aw, I’m just worried about you driving by yourself, it’s not safe~” “Okay, whatever you say. Come over whenever you’re ready, drive safe.” “I have to get back to work, hanging up now, mua~” I awkwardly turned my face away. I couldn’t bear to look, I really couldn’t. Our Mr. Shen actually had such a gentle side. He hung up the phone, coughed, and smiled at me. “Lin Xu, the investors looked at the proposal this morning. They’re generally very satisfied, but they brought up a few points. I’ve highlighted the details, so please revise it according to their suggestions.” “Okay, Mr. Shen.” Just as I was about to leave, I caught a glimpse of a water bottle sitting on the corner of his desk. It was the exact same titanium travel mug with traditional lacquer art! The exact same one I picked out for my online boyfriend! For a moment, I stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning! Seeing that I hadn’t left, Mr. Shen asked: “Hmm? Something else?” His voice pulled me out of my shock. I took a deep breath, pretending nothing was wrong. I pointed at the water bottle: “Mr. Shen, that’s a nice water bottle, where did you buy it?” He slowly uttered two words: “Global Plaza.” Me: “…” Mr. Shen smiled slightly, his eyes curving into crescents. “Why, do you like it?” I quickly composed my facial expression and waved my hands. “Ah, it’s nothing, just asking casually.” Then, I fled in a panic. An absurd thought popped into my head: Mr. Shen is my online boyfriend! But if I’m his girlfriend, who was he calling “baby” just now? Is Mr. Shen cheating on me? Holy shit! 5 I was completely out of it for the whole day. I didn’t even reply promptly to the messages my online boyfriend sent me. After suppressing my emotions and finishing the proposal revisions. I went home in a daze. My phone was full of messages from him. [Baby, what are you doing?] [Baby? Where are you?] [Baby, why aren’t you replying?] [Baby, why are you acting so weird today? Did I do something wrong? Tell me if you’re unhappy, I’ll definitely fix it!] [Baby, don’t scare me!] … With trembling hands, I typed a few words. [Puppy, are you hiding something from me?] He replied instantly: [No, baby. I always answer whatever you ask truthfully.] [Baby, is there a misunderstanding between us?] [No.] I tried to calm my chaotic mind. Now that I knew he was highly likely Mr. Shen, my next step was to figure out if Mr. Shen was really cheating. And who the “baby” he was talking to actually was. What if I was misunderstanding him? My online boyfriend sent another message: [Oh right, baby, brand V just released their latest clothes. Help me pick one out? I want to wear it tomorrow!] [Image.] I specifically picked out a solid black sweater with a logo on the left chest, so it would be easy for me to identify. I still held out a sliver of hope. If Mr. Shen didn’t wear this sweater tomorrow, it would prove he wasn’t my online boyfriend. Then I wouldn’t have to agonize over whether my online boyfriend was cheating or not. 6 The next day, I walked into Mr. Shen’s office with the proposal. He was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, and he was wearing the exact same black brand V sweater I picked out yesterday. Blindingly black. “Mr. Shen, the proposal has been revised.” He gave me a warm smile. “Good work, Lin Xu.” “The investors are coming this afternoon, please prepare.” “Okay.” I stared at Mr. Shen’s sweater, pretending to ask casually: “Mr. Shen, I’ve never seen you wear this sweater before, it looks nice.” He smiled: “Bought it yesterday.” This made me even more certain that Mr. Shen was my online boyfriend. Sitting at my desk, I absentmindedly stared at his office. He said yesterday that his “baby” was coming to the office today. I really wanted to know who this “baby” was. If it really was what I thought, then this relationship had to end. 7 An hour later, a woman with exquisite features walked straight into Mr. Shen’s office. I pretended to go get water. As I passed his office, I heard talking and laughing from inside. “Baby, I missed you so much. This sweater looks really good on you, I just realized black suits you.” Mr. Shen’s voice was gentle: “Baby, as long as you like it. I picked it out specifically. Aren’t we meeting your parents tonight? I was afraid they wouldn’t be satisfied with me.” “How could they? My parents will naturally like the person I like.” Hearing this, it felt like my heart had been dealt a heavy blow. So he asked me to pick out clothes for him so he could meet his beloved girlfriend’s parents. Then what am I? A secret mistress? The next second, I took out my phone and with great difficulty, typed a few words to my online boyfriend: “You are rotten to the core, let’s break up!” Then, I swiftly blocked and deleted him. 8 Mr. Shen walked out holding his girlfriend’s hand, watching her leave. Completely without any sorrow. I felt more and more like a clown. Thinking back to all the moments we shared, I felt a wave of bitterness in my heart. The only thing worth celebrating was that I used a secondary account for online dating. Otherwise, I would have been so embarrassed. I consoled myself: since love is gone, I should just focus on work. After all, I’m a rational woman, I can’t possibly quit my job over this. 9 In the afternoon, Mr. Shen sent me a message. [Lin Xu, the investor has read your proposal and thinks it’s feasible. Come in and give a presentation.] I gathered my emotions, held my head high, and walked in. “Lin Xu, this is the investor, and also my good buddy, Arthur Gu. Don’t be nervous, just explain your ideas to Mr. Gu.” I ignored Mr. Shen and looked at the person sitting on the sofa. And my eyes met Arthur’s. Unlike Mr. Shen’s gentleness, the man in front of me exuded a noble and unapproachable aura. He was wearing a black V-neck suit, the neckline perfectly revealing a black, slim-fit turtleneck sweater underneath. The sweater outlined his pecs, which were ready to burst out but perfectly concealed by the jacket. It left much to the imagination. His long, fair fingers picked up a water glass, and he took a small sip. I was completely intimidated by this man’s aura and nervously swallowed. Urged by Mr. Shen, I explained my ideas to Arthur. Once in work mode, I was confident and poised. When I finished, Mr. Shen clapped. “Lin Xu, very well said. Arthur, what do you think?” Mr. Shen and I looked at Arthur simultaneously, but Arthur’s gaze was fixed on my neck. He suddenly said: “Miss Lin, that’s a very nice necklace.” I looked down. The neckline of my outfit today was a bit low, and my crystal necklace was perfectly exposed. I panicked a little, because when I bought this crystal necklace, I had sent a picture to my online boyfriend. [Puppy, look at my new necklace, isn’t it pretty?] [Image] The image was a close-up of my neck wearing the necklace. He replied: [Baby looks good in everything.] Now that the necklace was exposed, Mr. Shen wouldn’t recognize me, would he? I glanced at Mr. Shen. Thankfully, he didn’t react much. He was still eagerly waiting for Arthur’s reply. Of course, he had a girlfriend, and he was just playing with me. Why would he remember these details? Only I remembered every little thing about our online romance. I hurriedly pulled my hand back and said: “Just bought it casually, for fun.”

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When the female lead appeared, I was already pregnant with Ethan’s child. Unable to fight fate, he had once desperately broken off his engagement with the female lead for me, but that only made her hate me to the bone, detesting the very sight of me. Eventually, I grew tired. I threw away our tangled feelings, and even gave up the child. Until a late afternoon, six years later. A tender-faced child knocked on my door. He kept a straight face, acting like a little adult: “My dad doesn’t want me anymore, can I come live with you?” 1 I froze for a moment, speechless. Leo pursed his lips unhappily, tilting his pretty little face up, and said earnestly: “My teacher said that parents have the responsibility and obligation to raise their children…” The half-open door cut off the rest of his sentence. I stepped aside slightly and said calmly: “Come in.” The dim, yellow light inside illuminated his slightly widened eyes. His eyes flickered inexplicably. He lifted his chin, let out a “hmph,” and obediently walked in. Closing the door, I turned around to see Leo curiously looking around. Seeing me look over, he immediately retracted his gaze, nervously gripping his backpack straps, his little face tense: “My name is Leo Vance.” It sounded like a self-introduction, yet also a reminder of his identity—the child Ethan and I had together. I knew. From the first glance, I confirmed who he was. Because his features were almost an exact replica of Ethan’s. Seemingly disappointed by my calm reaction, he unhappily turned his head away, refusing to look at me. I placed his small, bright yellow backpack by the entryway and led him to wash his hands. “Let’s eat first.” Leo obediently said “oh,” and by the time I brought the food out, he had already climbed onto a chair by himself. I asked him why he came looking for me so suddenly. Leo kept his head down, poking at the small greens in his bowl. His little round, black head drooping, his voice muffled: “I had a fight with him. He threw things and told me to get out, saying I should never come back.” So it was just a temper tantrum and running away from home. Then Ethan should be coming to pick him up very soon. Makes sense. After all, the Vance family fought ruthlessly with me for Leo’s custody six years ago. Now, it was even more impossible that they didn’t want him. My chopsticks paused, unable to define the feeling in my heart at this moment. I didn’t know Leo was coming tonight, so I only had a simple meal of two dishes and one soup. He was a picky eater, avoiding onions and carrots, until eventually, he had no vegetables left to eat. Leo glared bitterly at the mashed vegetable leaves, stole a glance at me, and guiltily swallowed them. When we first met, he had a touch of arrogance and haughtiness. Now, being a picky eater who didn’t like greens, it was clear he was pampered and spoiled at the Vance house. He shouldn’t have suffered any real grievances. I relaxed a bit. After washing the dishes, I waited for Ethan to send someone to pick him up. I waited until nine-thirty. Six-year-olds get sleepy early. He pulled his pajamas out of his backpack, looking around with his eyes, and pouted: “There’s only one room.” “Are we squeezing into one bed tonight?” I glanced at the clock on the wall. For some reason, the Vance family still hadn’t sent anyone. I had to compromise. “Yeah, you’ll sleep with me tonight.” I originally thought Leo would throw a tantrum. After all, a modest one-bedroom apartment was naturally nowhere near as comfortable as the Vance family’s luxurious mansion. But Leo just pursed his lips, his eyes flickering. After wiping his face, he grunted as he changed into his pajamas, kicking his legs to climb onto the bed by himself. Just like how, despite looking disgusted during dinner, he silently finished the greens I put in his bowl. He wriggled under the covers, making a little mound, pulled out a fairy tale book from who-knows-where, and peeked out to look at me, urging: “Aren’t you going to coax me to sleep?” He looked quite happy. 2 After coaxing Leo to sleep, I pulled up Ethan’s number. I hesitated for a long time, but still didn’t dial. Ethan and I had been apart for six years. At first, we both thought we could fight fate. Back then, my family suddenly went bankrupt. The Vance family broke off our engagement and, hiding it from Ethan, engaged him to Mia. For me, he broke off the engagement with Mia regardless of the consequences. He even gave up his position as the heir, taking a beating from Grandpa Vance according to family law that left him bedridden for half a month. Seeing me cry, he endured the pain, a lazy smile on his lips as he coaxed me in a low voice. I thought everything would be fine. The bankruptcy would be fine, Ethan would be fine, the future would be fine. But it wasn’t. Ethan and I secretly got married, hiding it from everyone. Perhaps because of Ethan’s unwavering commitment to me from beginning to end, after getting pregnant, I never once thought about not wanting the baby. Until the eve of giving birth. I endured the pain and called him for a long time, but Ethan never answered. My neighbors rushed me to the hospital. When I woke up, I saw a cold and indifferent Ethan. I didn’t know why someone could change so drastically overnight. So much so that his eyes were filled with unfamiliarity and disgust when he looked at me. Mia came to see me once. From her, I learned the truth about this world. Due to a system error in timing, when the late female lead appeared, the male lead had already developed feelings for someone else. As the price of correction, the male lead’s erroneous feelings began to invert. However much he loved me before, that’s how much he hated me now. Mia looked at me with pity and sorrow. Before leaving, she asked in a low voice, have you thought about what will happen to your child’s future? I was suddenly stunned, feeling a bit lost. I didn’t know who to hate anymore. Should I hate Ethan? But he didn’t even understand his own feelings. Should I hate fate? But what’s the use of hating? I couldn’t change anything. At that time, my parents were in a car accident on their way to the hospital to see me. They were in a coma and might be vegetables for the rest of their lives. I was on the verge of breaking down. My mind kept replaying everything Mia had said. I just felt that this bastard world was so, so exhausting. When I pushed open the window and looked down, the baby by the hospital bed suddenly started wailing loudly. I thought in a daze, what would happen to him if I died? Would this world tolerate his existence? Would he be abused by Mia? Or would he be like me, despised by Ethan, enduring countless grievances alone, and finally dying silently while everyone hoped for it? I started trembling all over. I went back to the bedside, my hands shaking as they reached for his neck. I wanted to take him with me. But then he stopped crying. His red, teary eyes stared at me eagerly, as if no matter where we went, he just wanted to be with his mother. It wasn’t until the nurses and bodyguards noticed something was wrong, rushed in, and pushed me away hard. I looked down at my trembling hands, only then realizing what absurd thing I had almost done under Mia’s suggestion. The news quickly reached the Vance family. Grandpa Vance specifically asked to see me, starting a fight for custody of the child. I didn’t ask for anything. I threw away the Ethan who despised me, gave up custody, and straightforwardly signed the divorce papers. I only asked for two million dollars. Youth doesn’t know the taste of sorrow. The Miss Hastings who once casually threw around millions would now find herself at a dead end for a few thousand dollars in hospital bills. From beginning to end, Ethan never appeared. His disgust for me reached the point where he didn’t even want to look at me. So, I accepted my fate. I threw away our tangled feelings, and even gave up the child. I let him go, and I let myself go. I didn’t snap out of my reverie until a soft little bundle buried its head into my arms. Leo closed his eyes, let out a soft grunt, and curled up sweetly in my arms. As if finally finding a comfortable position, he fell fast asleep. He uneasily gripped the hem of my shirt tightly, as if afraid I would disappear the moment he opened his eyes. I looked at that innocent, tender face and couldn’t help but sigh softly. If he knew his mother had wanted to strangle him right after he was born, would he still have come looking for me? He would probably run as far away from me as possible. 3 By morning, Ethan still hadn’t appeared. I didn’t know what he was trying to do. Back then, the Vance family fought so ruthlessly for custody, and now they were acting like they could just throw him away. I woke Leo up early and called a cab to take him to school. The kindergarten he attended wasn’t in the same city as where I lived, but luckily, it was only an hour’s drive away. Before getting out of the car, he made me promise repeatedly that I would pick him up after school, whining and clinging to me, refusing to let go. Until he saw a car parked in front of the kindergarten. His eyes lit up. He hurriedly pulled me out of the car, but as we got closer, he deliberately slowed down, pretending to casually block the path of a chubby little boy who had just gotten out of a car. As if doing it on purpose for him to see, Leo waved our linked hands in front of him. Then, very loudly, so everyone could hear, he asked me: “Mom, you’re picking me up after school, right?” This was the first time Leo called me “Mom.” Perhaps because of my six-year absence, he had never proactively called me “Mom” even when he knocked on my door. The chubby boy stared at me intently, saying in disbelief: “If you have a mom, why didn’t she drop you off before?” Leo scoffed, his gaze disdainful: “My mom is busy with work. Today she specifically took time off to drop me off.” He emphasized the word “specifically.” He held my hand, walking up to the main gate of the kindergarten in front of everyone, as if showing off, wanting everyone to see. Before parting, he awkwardly asked one more time: “…You’ll come pick me up, right?” Seeing me stay silent, he glared at me, then said very frantically and quietly: “You promised me in the car. Adults aren’t allowed to lie!” I helplessly squatted down, flattened his turned-up collar, and ruffled his hair. His hair was dark and soft, feeling great to the touch. “Okay, I’ll pick you up.” He couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile, then tried hard to keep a straight face, acting mature, lifting his chin and saying reservedly: “Hmm, I’ll remember to wait for you.” I only retracted my gaze after his figure completely disappeared from my sight. I found his teacher and asked about Leo’s situation in kindergarten. The teacher hesitated, finally sighing and complaining with a frown: “I know the Vance family is powerful, and my words might not hold much weight.” “But Leo’s Mom, no matter how busy you are, you can’t just completely ignore your child, right?” “Since he enrolled, no one has ever come to a parent-teacher meeting!” “Now all the kids in the kindergarten are saying he doesn’t have a mom. If this continues, it will be very bad for his physical and mental development.” No one has ever come to a parent-teacher meeting? Even if Ethan is busy and dislikes this child, is he too lazy to even have an assistant handle it? I frowned, feeling for the first time that I might have made the wrong decision. …Maybe I shouldn’t have given up custody back then. But I was penniless then, my parents were in a coma in the hospital, and I couldn’t even support myself. How could I talk about raising a fragile child? I pulled up Ethan’s number, hesitated for a moment, but still dialed it. I decided to have a good talk with him. If Ethan really didn’t want to raise him anymore, I would take him back with me. Although the current me couldn’t provide him with the excellent conditions of the Vance family, it was still enough to raise a child. Just as the call went through, a ringtone sounded behind me. As if realizing something, my fingertips trembled, and I turned around. I saw Ethan stepping out of a black Bentley. Six years had passed. He seemed to have changed, yet also seemed the same. He half-lowered his eyelashes, looking at the lit screen, his wrist bones clearly visible, his cold, sharp face hidden in the shadows. Unrushed, he slightly raised an eyebrow and suddenly looked up. “You’ve been hiding from me for so many years.” “Want to talk?” Unlike my disheveled state over the years, Ethan remained composed and steady. His features were exactly as I remembered, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at me was inexplicably deep. Even the dappled light filtering through the tree branches seemed to favor him. I heard he had already taken over the Vance family’s entire estate from Grandpa Vance. I heard the brand he founded was popular worldwide. I heard he had secretly married years ago and kept a low profile. The decades of memories I had deliberately ignored surged forward like a collapsing dam, a fine, dense pain spreading across my chest. It wasn’t until the moment I saw him that I suddenly realized. I thought I had moved on. It turns out I hadn’t. In our youth, he wove grass ring rings for me and kicked the person who bullied me into the pool. No one could have imagined that we would end up in such an awkward situation today. Actually, he hadn’t changed; he just didn’t love me anymore, that was all. It really has been a long, long time, Ethan. 4 We walked in silence and found a nearby cafe. Before the coffee even arrived, I got straight to the point, as if to cover something up: “Do you still want the child?” For the past six years, I had fantasized about reuniting with Ethan to the point of near torture. So much so that now I could pretend to be indifferent. Ethan raised his eyes, glanced at me, without hesitation: “Of course I do.” I pursed my lips, staring at the street sign outside the floor-to-ceiling window, let out a low “hmm,” and stood up. “Then remember to pick him up after school. If you don’t have time for parent-teacher meetings, you can notify me. I won’t disturb you and—” I still couldn’t say Mia’s name calmly. I couldn’t help but dig my nails into my palms, the sharp pain keeping me lucid, forcing myself to say: “…Won’t disturb your life.” I glanced at the time and was about to leave. As we brushed past each other, I only heard Ethan ask out of the blue: “So you only want to talk to me about Leo now?” My steps faltered, not quite understanding. Things between us were settled clearly six years ago. He found another love, and I took the two million and walked away cleanly. It was that simple. Besides Leo, what else was there for us to talk about? Ethan let out a soft breath, his pitch-black pupils fixed on me, and spoke again: “Alright then, I don’t want Leo anymore.” He sounded so self-righteous, as if he wasn’t the one changing his mind at the last minute. I furrowed my brows, unable to help but ask him: “What do you mean?” Ethan’s jaw lifted slightly, tapping the seat opposite him, motioning for me to sit back down. “Exactly what it sounds like.” “You want to raise the child, fine. The child is yours.” “Considering the child’s physical and mental health, every Friday night I will go to your current residence to fulfill necessary shared parenting duties with Leo, and drive back to the company Monday morning.” Watching him calmly spout nonsense, I only felt it was absurd. Driven beyond patience, I reminded him: “We are already divorced.” “Are we?” Ethan let out an ambiguous scoff. “I didn’t sign.” I belatedly understood the meaning of that sentence. When Grandpa Vance had me sign the divorce agreement, I thought Ethan despised me so much he didn’t even want to see me one last time, so he never appeared from start to finish. He said he didn’t sign. But why come looking for me only after six years? I wouldn’t flatter myself into thinking he still had any feelings for me. Maybe that agreement was lost, or there was some loophole that required a supplementary agreement; anything was possible. I pursed my lips, cooperating nicely: “Then we’ll sign a new one.” Ethan didn’t even look up: “Not signing.” I spoke to him in an even tone: “Signing it makes us even, isn’t that good?” “No, it’s not.” “Do you have any concerns? I don’t want shares or money, consider it me leaving with nothing.” “Don’t want it.” Those three ‘no’s made me angry yet dazed. Perhaps Ethan himself didn’t even remember, but this is exactly how he was in his youth. That day was his birthday party. Someone cornered me, their gaze frivolous and disrespectful, spouting nonsense. Ethan kicked the guy into the pool with one strike. It caused a huge scene. The guests were all prominent figures in Capitol City, and the elders from several families looked displeased. When asked for the reason, Ethan never offered an explanation. To avoid rumors and protect my reputation, Ethan didn’t even mention me from start to finish. He refused to admit fault and stubbornly took a beating from Grandpa Vance. I suppose no one could have imagined that this future business mogul spent his eighteenth birthday in a confinement room. The door was completely locked, not even medicine could be delivered. I curled up outside the door, saying very softly and guiltily: “I’m sorry.” Through the door panel, he paused for a moment, making some rustling sounds. It seemed he sat down by the door too. His voice was a bit muffled. He let out a soft “oh,” then said: “Not listening.” I buried my forehead against my knees, saying sullenly: “Actually, you didn’t have to kick him. Just waiting for him to finish would have been fine, he didn’t dare to actually do anything to me.” “Wasn’t going to wait.” I didn’t speak again. Maybe my voice was too muffled earlier and he misunderstood something. After a moment, he said again: “No crying.” He knocked on the door panel, clicking his tongue lightly: “I did it willingly, it has nothing to do with you, no crying.” I snapped back to reality, trying my best to hide the sourness in my eyes, but I seemed to hear his “no crying” from many years ago again. Ethan sat under the light, smiling faintly. The fine dust caught the scattered light, drifting down. His old silhouette had long silently sharpened over the years. He looked up and raised an eyebrow at me. As if answering what I had said earlier. “Chloe, we can never be even.” 5 I don’t quite remember how it ended. I only remember that I was so angry I left without even saying goodbye. Because I parted on bad terms with Ethan, I wasn’t sure if he was just saying that or if he really intended to do it. I hesitated for a moment but still didn’t take a cab back. Perhaps the round-trip fare was almost equal to a day’s wages for me, and taking time off seemed better than going back to work. Or perhaps it was the maternal love absent for six years acting up; I didn’t want to break my promise to Leo. I waited until four-thirty in the afternoon when kindergarten let out. Most of the children in this kindergarten came from prominent families. Among the coming and going luxury cars, I saw that Bentley stop in front of Leo. So I didn’t step forward. I turned around, slowly walking in the direction I came from, suddenly feeling my previous worries were ridiculous. What was I thinking? How could the Vance family really let the child leave with me? That Bentley quickly drove away, kicking up thick dust as we brushed past each other. I inexplicably thought of that tender little face. We probably won’t see each other again. Driven by some inexplicable impulse, I turned my head for one last look. After the black car left, the previously obscured road on the other side was revealed. Leo stood all alone at the kindergarten gate. His wide, round eyes met my gaze. His eyes lit up, and he was about to rush toward me, but was stopped by a teacher beside him. He scrunched up his little face, seemingly saying something to the teacher in frustration. Afraid he’d run blindly across the street, by the time I snapped out of it, I had already unconsciously taken several steps toward him. The teacher saw me, and only then did she let Leo come over. He ran over, panting, his dark, round eyes sparkling. He only slowed down when he got close, deliberately putting on an air of indifference, acting coy but happy: “…You, you really came to pick me up?” His soft little hand tentatively held my fingertips. Seeing I didn’t pull away, he pursed his lips, sneaked a glance at me, and gripped tighter. I gave a soft “hmm,” asking him a bit uncertainly: “Aren’t you going with him?” Mentioning Ethan, Leo’s face puffed up like a little gas tank ready to explode: “I don’t want him! Plus, he’s not here to pick me up!” “He said you work hard dropping me off and picking me up, that my constant clinging would annoy you, and told me not to bother you at work.” Looking very opinionated and seemingly quite disdainful of Ethan, he spoke solemnly and proudly: “I’m not as stupid as him!” “I talked to the teacher about transferring schools today, so you won’t have to spend so much time dropping me off anymore!” He tilted his little face up, his gaze expectant, seemingly waiting for me to praise him. I couldn’t help but rub his round, little black head. There was a lot of traffic on the way home. After buying groceries at the market, the sky grew dark as I led Leo home. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he muttered casually: “Oh right, Uncle Driver is picking me up after school tomorrow. Dad said I have to go home tomorrow to get my change of clothes.” “But I’m still coming back here to sleep! You’re not allowed to forget me!” Tomorrow was Friday. I unconsciously tightened my grip on the plastic bag holding the ingredients for braised pork, paused for a moment, and said gently: “Okay.” Children have short memories. Perhaps after one weekend, he would be coaxed by his family and then, forget me. Every time we met, I treated it as the last time. Because only by doing so would I not feel disappointed during the long waits. 6 By ten-thirty Friday night, Leo still hadn’t returned. I calmly put away the pajamas he had left on the edge of the bed that morning and stuffed the extra dishes I had made into the fridge. I turned off the lights, spaced out in the dark for a while, and closed my eyes. When I woke up again, I heard the sound of rain pattering outside the window. The sky was just getting light. I had nightmares all night and woke up with a splitting headache, throbbing in waves. There were a few unread messages on my phone. Before leaving yesterday, Leo hugged my leg, pestering me for my phone number. The earliest voice message was sent at midnight. It carried a hint of guilt, sounding a bit defensive, yet like an explanation. [I didn’t mean to be late!] [I had my clothes ready by six! But Dad got sick again and doesn’t seem to have the energy to drop me off.] [He’s so useless!] The second message came half an hour later. Cautious, with a hint of crying. [Mom, are you angry?] [Do you not want me again?] [I don’t want to stay here either, but, but I don’t have a choice. I don’t have Uncle Driver’s phone number—] … The last one was from ten minutes ago. He took a picture of the instructions for a fever reducer, asking me what it said and if kids could take this medicine. I quickly called his number back. The phone was answered in a second, and the sound of sniffling came from the other side. “Mom.” My phone automatically went on Do Not Disturb at night. I couldn’t even imagine how frightened and anxious Leo must have been all night. Afraid of scaring the child, I took a deep breath, tried to keep my voice steady, gripped the phone tightly, and asked gently: “Do you have a fever? Can you tell Mom where it hurts?” There was a sneeze on the other end of the line. He didn’t answer the question, but asked cautiously with a nasal voice: “Mom, can you come pick me up?” I knew it. I couldn’t refuse. 7 Following the location Leo sent, I found a villa complex in Capitol City. It seemed they had been informed in advance, as the guards didn’t give me much trouble and easily let me in. Standing in front of the door, I inexplicably felt this villa looked very much like my old home. Just as I was about to ring the bell, a hand blocked me first. I saw Mia’s reflection on the doorbell screen. My pupils shrank. My mind buzzed. Mia frowned, seemingly unable to understand: “Why are you here?” Almost like a conditioned reflex, I threw off her hand. Under her astonished gaze, I pursed my lips: “I came to pick up Leo.” Mia froze, seemed to think of something, and said pointedly: “Actually, you really shouldn’t have given up custody back then.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a trace of pity: “You know, Ethan doesn’t like this child.” “He’s stubborn and difficult, not lovable at all. He still refuses to call me ‘Mom’.” “Oh right, haven’t you experienced it before? Those who go against the protagonist never have a good ending.” She smiled faintly. A light sentence, yet it sent me right back to that cold winter six years ago. But this time, I didn’t step back. “He has a mother; he doesn’t need a second one.” “As for the ‘no good ending’ you mentioned—” I took a step towards her, staring into her eyes, retorting sarcastically: “Since you know exactly what happened back then, you should also know very well that I have nothing left to lose now.” “You can go ahead and try what you just said.” I smiled and said: “Anyway, I have nothing but a worthless life. When that day really comes, I’ll make sure to take you with me before I go.” Mia instinctively took a step back, seemingly not expecting the person who had broken down in despair six years ago to now know how to fight back. She bit her lip and didn’t speak. Ignoring her, I rang the doorbell directly. Not long after, the door was pushed open from the inside. The door revealed a sickly, listless face. Ethan seemed not to expect me to appear here, instinctively asking: “Why are you—” The next instant, his eyes grew cold, and he said almost indifferently: “Get out.” Was everything that happened six years ago going to repeat itself because of Mia’s appearance? I tugged my lips in a near-mocking smile: “Don’t worry, I’ll leave as soon as I pick up Leo.” But as if unable to bear it anymore, he grabbed my wrist. Then, without a word, he pulled me inside the house, using half his body to block me, and slammed the door shut with a cold face. Before the door closed, I clearly saw the smile Mia had just put on turn rigid. I looked up at Ethan blankly. …Ah. Did he grab the wrong person? 8 The temperature of the hand gripping my wrist was scalding. The burning sensation told me it wasn’t an illusion. Ethan explained to me in a low voice: “I wasn’t talking about you.” I belatedly realized I seemed to have misunderstood something and uncomfortably pulled my hand back. He just looked down at his empty hand, couldn’t help but curl his fingers, and then dialed the guard’s number. His expression was aloof and cold. “Didn’t I tell you not to let her in?” A flurry of panicked apologies came from the receiver, and something else seemed to be said. Not long after Ethan hung up, a surveillance video was sent over. He handed the phone to me. I looked blank and confused, so he explained: “I never let Mia in. She snuck in right behind you.” Seeing I didn’t take it, he seriously stuffed the phone into my hand and carefully closed my fingers over it one by one. “Evidence, hold onto it.” But I caught a faint scent of alcohol. Is Ethan a lightweight? I belatedly realized that Ethan right now did indeed seem quite different from usual. My vision went dark. Besides me, probably no one else knows just how difficult a drunk Ethan can be. Under Ethan’s pressure, I forced myself to finish watching the surveillance video under his supervision. He stood by me the whole time, and even used his gaze to urge me to speak after the video ended, seemingly waiting for my “post-viewing thoughts.” I laughed a bit nervously, forcibly changing the subject, and kindly reminded him: “You seem to have a fever.” He reached out to touch my forehead, seemed to think about it seriously for a moment, and said solemnly: “Oh, it seems so.” …He’s silly, there’s no saving him. I couldn’t help but turn my head and sigh, only to see Leo dragging a suitcase out of his room, panting heavily. He froze when he saw me by the entryway. He dropped the suitcase that was as tall as his shoulder, his eyes red, and was about to throw himself at me. “Mom!” Ethan unhappily swatted away Leo’s hands hugging my legs, his expression very fierce: “Don’t call out randomly, this is my wife.” Leo was pushed until he stumbled, so angry he was about to cry. His little face was flushed from the fever, and he scrunched up his face, glaring at him hatefully: “Are you a bandit? Mom clearly came looking for me!” My ears hurt so much. Chirping away, like I was raising two sparrows. Before I could speak, Ethan had already pulled me into the bedroom with a cold face. Leo indignantly kicked his little legs, trying to follow, but was stopped by Ethan pressing an index finger to his forehead, pushing him out expressionlessly. The door closed with a smack. The world was quiet.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394495”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I posted a piece of music my boyfriend composed online, only for people to dig up that it was a song he wrote for his first love. In an instant, I became the target of everyone’s mockery. “The song is beautiful, but what a pity it wasn’t written for you.” “He’s remembered her for seven years? What about you? How many years will you make him remember you?” “I guarantee you, there is another woman living in his heart besides you.” Everyone said I was acting like a clown, but I refused to break up. After all, the only reason I chased him for so long was because he had a pair of eyes— Eyes that were identical to someone else’s. 01 While moving, I found a piece of sheet music in my boyfriend’s drawer. I casually snapped a picture and posted it online, never expecting it to blow up. “Found this in my boyfriend’s drawer, can any music experts tell me what piece this is?” Currently, the top comment in the section reads: “Ah, I’ve heard this song before.” “It’s the one the hottest guy in our college played for his girlfriend at the campus anniversary festival back in the day.” Obviously, this “girlfriend” wouldn’t be holding up the sheet music asking questions about it online. Instantly, the comment section flooded with all sorts of remarks. Some mocked me, some pitied me, and some felt indignant on my behalf. I was still scrolling through the endless comments when Ethan pushed the door open and walked in. 02 He wrapped his arms around me, kissed my chin, and asked what I was looking at. I pointed at the comment my eyes were fixed on. “After all these years, he still kept the sheet music. Your boyfriend must love his ex very, very much. Much more than he loves you.” He stared at the screen intently for a long time, then raised his long, elegant fingers and pressed the button to turn off my screen. “Why did you post a piece of music I wrote online?” “Don’t read this nonsense when you have nothing better to do.” I looked up, staring at him unblinking. “Do you still love her, Ethan?” The man’s long silence was my only answer. He had a mole near the corner of his eye. It sat there, looking just like a star spilled from the Milky Way. After a long while, he raised his hand and pinched my cheek. “What do you want for dinner? I’ll go make it for you.” I really wanted to tell him: Ethan, your subject changes are terrible. 03 I leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching the man’s busy back. Actually, there were some differences between him and that person. For example, he was a great cook. And, his personality wasn’t actually that cold. But they were also very similar. Their mannerisms, their movements, everything was so alike. That was why I had persistently chased him for two years. I still remember the sixth time I cornered him on his way home from work, shoving a bright bouquet of daisies into his arms. I told him, “Professor Hayes, I still can’t play that Chopin Nocturne.” He sighed, gently pulling a petal off a daisy. “Then how do you expect me to teach you?” I leaned in close, my hands behind my back, my face almost touching his lips, and said straightforwardly: “I heard kissing can speed up brain function. Do you want to try it, Professor?” His ears turned completely red, but his eyes were bright, like the Milky Way. He actually leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Like this?” Back then, I didn’t know how much I looked like his long-lost first love. Nor did I know that the scar on his wrist was carved because of her. 04 “Ethan, I’m just saying… if I and your ex-girlfriend fell into the water at the same time…” During dinner, I was idly chewing on my spoon, making trouble. “Who would you save first?” “Her.” I didn’t expect him to answer without hesitation. I blinked. “Why?” “Because you talk too much.” As he said that, he placed a peeled shrimp into my bowl. I popped it into my mouth, but I couldn’t taste anything. Even though I knew he was half-joking, mostly just teasing me, my heart still felt incredibly empty. I think I really was falling for Ethan. This wasn’t good. They always say whoever catches feelings first loses. We both saw each other as replacements; it was better to just stick to playing the role. I finished my meal feeling gloomy. He, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened. That evening, he sat at his piano, preparing for his classes. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his long fingers danced across the keys. He looked indescribably handsome. Ethan taught piano at the conservatory. Tickets for his recitals started at hundreds of dollars, but he let me listen to him play casually at home, and I still complained it was hurting my ears. So, I quietly snuck up behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and caused trouble. “Professor Hayes, teach me too, okay?” Then, I didn’t even know how I ended up pinned against the piano. His kisses trailed down my jawline. The curtains were drawn, letting a pool of moonlight spill across the floor. At some point, a heavy bass key was pressed, sending a deep resonance vibrating through the piano. I pushed against his chest. “Not here… your piano… is very expensive.” He lowered his eyes to look at me, answered very seriously, and then rained down a flurry of dense, soft kisses. “It doesn’t matter.” Later, when I wrapped my arms around his neck and tilted my head back, I somehow caught sight of a dreamcatcher dangling precariously by the piano. He always kept it with him. It went without saying who had given it to him. In the soft drizzle of the night, I reached out with a hoarse voice, pulled down a white feather from it, and asked him: “This dreamcatcher is too old. Can we throw it away?” But even in such a quiet, intimate moment, he refused to give me a direct answer. After a long pause, he endured my gaze. “No.” 05 The post I made online was still gaining traction. The next afternoon, I received a direct message. “Hey girl, I was in the same class as your boyfriend in college. I know some things about him and his ex-girlfriend. Do you want to hear them?” “To be honest, I feel pretty sorry for you.” This kind of thing is like Pandora’s Box. Even though I knew this wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience, I couldn’t suppress the overwhelming desire to know. So, that afternoon, I sat on a bench outside a convenience store and read the story of him and that girl, word by word. “I remember he and his girlfriend were pretty famous at our university back then.” “He was the prodigy of the piano department, and she was the stunning beauty of the literature department. Plus, they apparently grew up together, childhood sweethearts.” “During a campus anniversary event, he played this song on stage. He wrote it specifically for her, played it just for her.” “It actually got pretty popular locally at the time. I heard if he published it, he could have made a lot of money, but he said he wrote it for her, and only she was allowed to listen to it.” “My roommates and I were dying of jealousy back then. Until, right before graduation, the girl made a huge fuss about going abroad, I don’t know why.” “It was a massive fight. In the end, they broke up. Then I heard he practically gave up his life trying to get her to come back.” “But she still left in the end, didn’t she? Anyway, I just feel like your boyfriend probably loves his ex-girlfriend very, very much.” “That kind of love, time can’t wash it away, and the years can’t take it from him. Think about it, going that far for her.” “Girl, you shouldn’t be kept in the dark.” Reading the final word, I took a deep breath. I couldn’t describe the feeling. My heart felt a bit numb, but I also felt like… yes, this was exactly the kind of thing someone like Ethan would do. He was always looking at another girl through my eyes. I knew that. After a pause, I still asked the person: “Do you have a picture of that girl?” “Ah, hold on. I think there’s one from a spring trip. Let me look.” About twenty minutes later, she sent over a slightly faded photo. The quality wasn’t great, but you could still see that in the blurry image, the girl circled in red was beautiful. She had long hair, leaned against the shoulder of a young, green Ethan, and smiled radiantly. I gently brushed my finger across the screen. I looked up, staring at my own reflection in the convenience store window. No wonder. The shape of my brow and hers were at least seventy or eighty percent similar. 06 I don’t know how I got home. Passing by a hair salon, I gestured to the stylist and had them chop my hair off right at my jawline. This felt like the first time in my life I had ever cut my hair short. Looking in the mirror, I felt like I didn’t even look like myself anymore. And I also looked a little less like that girl. I didn’t know how Ethan would react when he saw me. I sat at home, waiting patiently for him. But I waited until past midnight, only to receive a completely drunk man. Professor Hayes had a business dinner tonight, apparently. He walked through the door. The moment he saw me, he froze. I thought he would have some other reaction, but unfortunately, no. I stood there, and he collapsed against me, calling my nickname. “Lena…” His breath ghosted over my neck. The smell of alcohol mixed with the cold, crisp scent of cedar on his body. He held me, and eventually, we both tumbled onto the living room sofa. Lena. But wait. My name is Lana. The alcohol blurred his syllables, but the vowel shifted just a fraction. He wasn’t saying Lana. He was saying Lena. I remembered asking this afternoon. That girl’s name was Elena. His kisses fell on my neck. He must have been truly drunk. His fingers tangled in my hair as he called her name, over and over again. I like you. I love you. I miss you. Word by word. I knew that even though he was looking at me with eyes full of emotion, the words weren’t meant for me. As I was held in his arms, I gripped the edge of his coat, tilted my head, and stared at the dim yellow light in the entryway. I told him: “Ethan, look closely. I’m not Elena.” “I cut my hair short. Your Elena has long hair.” He stared at me for a moment, then crushed his lips against mine. Just like that. He wouldn’t even let me speak. 07 I don’t know how long I was tossed around that night. I’m a light sleeper, and I woke up again in the early hours of the morning. I heard the sound of heavy raindrops violently smashing against the glass. I remembered the weather forecast said there would be a massive thunderstorm. I was locked in his embrace, a thick blanket pulled over me. I was so exhausted last night, I didn’t even know how he carried me to bed. As I lay there listening to the rain with my eyes open, the doorbell downstairs suddenly rang. At first, I thought I misheard, but a few dozen seconds later, it rang again. I squinted, lacking the energy to get up. So I nudged the man sleeping beside me. “Ethan, someone’s ringing the doorbell.” He raised a hand, rubbed my head, and then pulled me back into his arms to sleep. He clearly wasn’t fully awake. But the doorbell kept ringing. I kicked his shin. “Ethan. Go get the door.” … The difference between Ethan and that person was that Ethan didn’t get angry when woken up. Woken up by my kicking, Ethan looked down at me with sleepy eyes, then got up and did as I asked. Sometimes he was… really quite obedient to me. Thinking about this, I curled up in the warm blankets, my head a mess, wondering who would be ringing the doorbell this early in the morning. But I waited for a long time, and the man didn’t come back. I was worried something had happened to him. So I grabbed a random coat, threw it over my shoulders, and leaned against the staircase railing as I followed him down. “Ethan, who is it?” The next second, I froze. The heavy rain outside was still pouring down. Standing there was a girl with long hair, wearing a white dress, completely soaked to the bone. Sometimes it’s just a strange intuition; the moment I saw her, I knew it was her. The Elena that Ethan both loved and hated, the one he could never forget. Right now, she was lifting a pale, pitiful face, looking up at him desperately. “Ethan, you won’t hide from me anymore, will you?” “I won’t leave this time. I really won’t leave.” “Please don’t be with any other women anymore, okay…?” 08 I stared at that girl through the curtain of pouring rain. Her eyes were very clean. The way she looked at me was almost a pure, simple observation. So pure that she clearly didn’t consider me a threat at all. Of course. Ethan had almost given his life for her. She held all the winning chips. I instinctively tightened my grip on the staircase railing. I raised my voice, trying my best to sound like I didn’t care. “Looks like someone you know, Ethan. Aren’t you going to invite her in to sit down?” I thought if I acted magnanimous enough, my heart wouldn’t feel like it was being twisted into knots. But the uncontrollable tremor in my voice betrayed the chaos in my mind. As if suddenly awakened by my voice, Ethan slammed the door shut. I never expected him to be so ruthless as to literally shut his first love out in the rain. The heavy downpour continued. I walked over to his side, reaching out to open the door for him. “It’s not right to leave her out there in the rain…” Then, the man gripped the back of my neck. His fingers, slightly damp from the rain, pressed me against the wooden door as he kissed me softly. I stared at the fine beads of water clinging to his eyelashes. “Be good, don’t make a fuss.” Ethan’s voice was hoarse as he pressed into the crook of my neck. In his heavy breathing, I could see exactly how turbulent his emotions were. He didn’t not care. He cared far too much. 09 Over the next few days, I constantly saw that girl’s silhouette around Ethan. On his way to work, on his way home, on the path to his office. It was like a relentless pursuit, constantly clinging to him. “Ethan, please forgive me, okay?” “Ethan, how long are you going to keep living with that woman?” “Ethan, you don’t love me anymore? I don’t believe you.” Actually, I should have broken up with Ethan amicably. I was originally just looking for the shadow of another person in him anyway. But I just couldn’t do it. By the time I sadly realized I couldn’t bear to let Ethan go, it was already too late. For instance, right now. I was carrying a bento box I spent all morning making, intending to bring it to Ethan. Only to see that white silhouette beside him. The girl rested her chin in her hands, watching the man eat slowly. She looked like she had finally gotten her way, every strand of her hair practically radiating sunshine. “Ethan, admit it, you still prefer my cooking, right?” “That woman doesn’t even know how to cook, does she?” She chattered endlessly like a bird. The man silently swallowed his food, but didn’t answer. Actually, silence was basically an admission. Ethan was always very gentle with me, but in front of that girl, he was ice-cold. But I knew that this only proved he cared. He cared that she left him. He cared that she abandoned him in this country. I don’t remember who told me this, but sometimes hate surges far more violently than love. I tightened my grip on the lunchbox in my hands, unlocked my phone, and sent him a message. “Ethan, what are you doing?” He was always very prompt in replying to me. Even now, he looked down at his phone and typed a response. “Eating.” “Are you eating alone?” The man stared down at his screen for a long time. I waited for a long time, watching him through the window. My heart started to beat erratically, betraying me. Then, a single word came back. “Yeah.” … You see, Professor Hayes, who never lied, had lied to me. Just because of that woman who constantly badgered him. Even if he treated her with cold eyes, he couldn’t resist the subconscious urge to protect her.

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As the college entrance exams approached, my crush, to encourage me to study hard, made a deal. For every problem I solved correctly, I’d get a kiss. Later, my lips were red and swollen, and his buddies noticed. Facing the crowd’s teasing, his expression remained flat: “We’ll cut it off after the exams.” Later, he asked me where I wanted to go for college. I thought about it, named a random city, and deleted all his contact info. When we met again in college, he pinned me fiercely against a corner wall. “You said you were going to Capitol City, but then what?” “Were you playing me?” 01 “I can’t do it!” Late at night, in the school hallway. Ethan Vance, wearing a pristine white uniform, flipped through the past three years’ college entrance exam papers with his long fingers. His expression was aloof, yet carried an inexplicable laziness. It made my heart flutter again; I liked him so much. I pulled at the sleeve of his uniform: “Hey, I said I’m done!” Ethan looked over, the corner of his mouth curling up lazily. “Yeah.” “I can’t do… mhm…” My lips were blocked by the boy. A clean, pleasant minty scent filled my nose. My heart pounded violently. Just when I was about to suffocate— The boy let me go, his thumb brushing across my lips, saying flatly: “Next time you can’t solve the final problem, sit here.” He pointed to his lap. My eyes lit up instantly! “I definitely will!” 02 The deal with Ethan originated from his parents and mine. We were childhood friends who grew up together. After my eighteenth birthday, even his parents started worrying about my studies. But I was mischievous by nature. Faced with his cold, boring tutoring, I would just rub my foot against his clean white sneakers. And say lazily: “Ethan, I’m so tired, I don’t want to study.” Ethan looked at me and grabbed my offending ankle. His tone as cold as ever: “What do you want?” I had liked Ethan for a whole ten years. He always had that lukewarm attitude. He indulged me like a neighborhood little sister. But that was it. After my eighteenth birthday, I suddenly developed a sense of “adult” rebellion. For the first time, I took control. I stood right up from the desk. And leaned close to him. I lightly caressed his pinky finger with my thumb. Once, twice… Until he couldn’t take it anymore and pulled me down. We looked at each other at eye level. I smiled, still with that careless, willful look: “If I solve one problem, Ethan will give me a kiss, okay?” 03 To be honest, when I made that request. My heart was in my throat. But I didn’t expect Ethan to actually agree. His handsome, regular features showed no emotion. He just nodded. “Fine, as long as it gets you to finish the work.” At that moment, my immense joy was slightly dampened. Ethan might have a cold personality, but he always listened to his parents. Agreeing to my absurd request— Was probably just for their sake. But, I had always been careless. As long as I got to kiss him, it was fine. Who cares about the reason? And so it went. In the garden behind the track field. On the rooftop before evening study hall. And in the school hallway after evening study hall. Conservation of momentum, ion equilibrium in electrolyte solutions, solid geometry… We kissed wildly in places where no one was around. Even once when Ethan and I came out of the stairwell one after the other. We happened to run into his buddies. Their expressions were ambiguous and playful. Darting back and forth between Ethan and me. But they tactfully nodded to me. And didn’t ask much. Thinking I was far away, they started teasing him: “Alright, Ethan, I was wondering why you wouldn’t eat with us after school, or walk home with us after evening study hall.” “So you were here keeping little sister company!” “You hid it well, when are you going to make it official?” In the deep night, the moonlight slanted down on the boy’s aloof, handsome face. Making him look even colder and more refined. “What nonsense are you talking about?” He said flatly: “We’ll cut it off after the exams.” 04 The people around dispersed. I stood behind the stairs. For a long time, I couldn’t snap out of it. Right. Ethan kissing me was just to complete a task. It wasn’t because he really liked me. So what was there to be sad about? Wasn’t it just for fun? Chloe, what were you expecting that you shouldn’t have? My old brick of a phone suddenly rang in the empty night. It was a message from Ethan: [Where are you? Let’s go home together.] I didn’t hesitate and immediately replied: [No need, I’ll walk myself.] Ethan didn’t insist. When I came out, the empty street was deserted. I held my breath in my chest. And sent him another message: [We don’t need to walk together anymore.] After a long while, he replied: [Okay.] 05 From that day on. Ethan and I still exchanged correct answers for kisses. But outside of that, I avoided him whenever possible. I stopped pestering him to eat together. To go to and from school together. Even when discussing college applications. I asked my parents to find an experienced senior to help me. And didn’t go to him. When he came to my house, the senior was helping me look at related majors and explaining them. “You’re a bit better at humanities, but the job market isn’t great. You need to think carefully…” The senior was elegant and polite, his smile warm and gentle. Looking at him, I inexplicably thought of Ethan’s sour face again. And then mentally slapped myself hard. Heh. There are so many guys, why do I have to think about him every day? I leaned closer to the senior, my voice sweet: “Mhm, I understand. Thank you, Senior…” The door was pushed open, and a ray of sunlight shone in. Perfectly illuminating our overlapping silhouettes. Ethan’s handsome face tightened slightly. A moment later— He returned to normal. “We haven’t done today’s problems,” he said flatly. I absolutely hated his expressionless face. I deliberately turned my head away: “I don’t need you to teach me today, someone else is.” Ethan’s hand on the doorknob tightened. Then relaxed. “Mhm, fine.” He left. Without even looking back. 06 He was ruthless. I swore I would never think about him again. But my mom rushed out and smacked me on the head. “How can you be so rude! Ethan teaches you every day, he’s ranked first in the grade, gives you handwritten notes, and you treat him like that!” “Get over there and do your work, be a good girl!” I said goodbye to the senior, and was dragged kicking and screaming to Ethan’s house by my mom. Mr. and Mrs. Vance were as nice to me as ever. Bringing me fruit, bringing me snacks. And even gave me a plush toy I loved. Their affection made me too embarrassed to continue my protest. I could only sit obediently in front of Ethan. In the sunlight, the angles of his face were sharp, only his eyes carried a faint teasing smile: “What? Not going to the senior anymore?” “None of your business!” I bit my lip, acting fierce: “Just explain your problems!” The smile in Ethan’s eyes vanished, and he coldly explained the problems I needed to do today. I had actually practiced those problems privately many times. Originally, it was just to make Ethan fulfill his promise. The steps were already firmly etched in my mind. But today, while taking the test. I looked up at Ethan many times. The boy was bland, aloof, like a high-altitude flower. The kind I couldn’t reach. Forget it. I raised my hand and deliberately wrote a wrong answer on the final step. “Done.” Ethan slowly walked over and took a look. “Hmm?” “It’s wrong, I guess. I’ll go back and correct it. We don’t need to…” I lifted my leg to walk out. But was suddenly pulled back by him. Picked up. And placed directly on… My long-awaited wish was fulfilled just like that, inexplicably. 07 My center of gravity was unstable. Afraid of falling, I could only wrap my arms around his neck. A sense of humiliation welled up in my chest. I struggled and hit him hard. The usually emotionless boy seemed exceptionally strange today. Proactive, fierce. He pressed against the back of my neck and threatened in a low voice: “Want them all to hear?” I instantly quieted down. In the parents’ minds, I was the quintessential good girl. How could they know I was using math problems to… Ethan smiled in satisfaction and continued kissing. After a long time, my legs went numb. I asked weakly: “Why did you… mhm… what did I… do wrong?” Why was he doing this? “Yeah, it’s a punishment,” Ethan said. After a long time, I really couldn’t hold on anymore, struggling to ask him: “When are you… mhm… going to be done?” Ethan was still rubbing against my lips, his voice cold but carrying an ambiguous undertone: “I can let you go.” “But you’re not allowed to see that senior anymore.” The fire in my heart surged even higher. Who are you? You’re going to cut ties with me after the exams anyway. What right do you have to dictate my social circle? But with my whole body still nestled in his arms, I had no choice but to be honest: “Mhm, fine, you, stop kissing.” “Put me down first.” But Ethan didn’t move. Then he asked me another question: “Decided where you’re going? What are you studying?” I looked into his eyes. Slowly, I named a city that had absolutely nothing to do with my dream college choices. “Capitol City.” Ethan’s gaze was faint, his hands resting behind my head. His tone lazy: “That’s going to be tough.” Me: … Even now he doesn’t forget to insult me. I pinched him hard: “Get lost!” The boy started laughing. His chest vibrating violently. 08 The next day, Ethan’s desk was empty. “I heard he went to a competition training camp.” “He’s a genius, seriously.” “That university in Shanghai already offered him a spot.” “Why is he insisting on testing into Capitol City?” “Who exactly is in Capitol City?” My desk mate, Mia, mumbled in my ear. The hand holding my test paper trembled. I didn’t speak for a long time. Just kept my head down, doing problems. The workbook was compiled for me by Ethan. Densely packed, it was entirely made up of my weak spots. So it was very difficult to get through. During the break, I was racking my brain. My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket. I took it out, a message from Ethan: “If there’s anything you don’t know, text me.” “Just send the page and question number.” Looking down, in front of every single problem— There was a 1, 2, 3 written on them. My heart felt like it was touched by something. And then ruthlessly pushed down. I replied: “Okay.” I turned and poked Mia. “Do you know how to do this problem?” Mia was holding a small mirror, adjusting her pretty hair. Her smile innocent and pitiful: “Babe, I failed math last time.” “Are you sure you want to ask me?” Me: … I just instinctively didn’t want to ask Ethan. I didn’t notice who I was asking. 09 For a whole two weeks. I asked every student in the class with good grades. Mia watched me running around like a headless chicken. Resting her chin on her hand, she said slowly: “By the way, aren’t you and Ethan neighbors?” “Why don’t you take your problems to him?” I froze. I hadn’t contacted Ethan for over two weeks. I didn’t look for him. And he didn’t look for me. The empty chat box. Only my messages flirting with him remained. It felt like a lifetime ago. I gripped my pen and told the truth: “We’re not that close.” We just kissed. It’s not like we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. Mia frowned, looking confused: “That doesn’t make sense, just a few days ago I saw you chasing him around every day.” “You two even went to the stairwell together?” “How come you’re suddenly not close?” I frowned. The old history of flirting was brought up. My face felt like it couldn’t hide it. I forced a smile, pretending to be a clever imp. My tone nonchalant: “Oh, I did that on purpose.” “You know my parents are very strict with me, they don’t let me do this, they don’t let me do that.” “I just wanted to be rebellious.” Mia was thoroughly confused by my explanation. She blinked, very bewildered: “So, you don’t like Ethan?” “Of course I don’t like him.” I didn’t give myself time to think. While talking, I folded up the problems I didn’t know how to do. “It could have been a Liam, or an Oliver…” “As long as it made my parents mad, that’s enough.” Mia was completely stunned. Her gaze stared blankly at a corner behind me. I sensed something was wrong. And looked up. I met Ethan’s gaze dead on. He was still dragging a suitcase. It seemed he hadn’t even gone home, coming straight here. The boy was wearing a loose hoodie, his hair messy, his uniform thrown on carelessly. He looked like a very youthful, bad-boy heartthrob. His handsome face was tense, his gaze meeting mine deeply. My heart pounded. I didn’t know how much he heard. After a long time, the corners of his mouth slowly curved into a smile. As if he didn’t even see me. He walked straight to his seat.

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Just as I was about to go to sleep, someone tagged me in the class group chat: “Mr. White, why did I only get a 61 in Physics? I want to see my exam paper!” It was Chloe, a student from the Electronic Technology major. I immediately pulled up her exam to double-check. Her raw score was 37. Take the square root of 37, multiply by 10, and you get 61. 【Chloe, 61 is your final, adjusted score.】 【You purposely tanked my grade and now you’re acting all high and mighty? We’re college students, don’t play these games with us! I’m going straight to the academic affairs office to file a complaint!】 1 To make the final physics grades look less disastrous, I used the “saving formula” invented by the legendary physicist Qian Xuesen: take the square root of the raw score and multiply by 10. This ensures the majority of the class doesn’t fail. Chloe’s 61 came from exactly that. 【Chloe, if you have questions about your grade, you can come talk to me privately.】 【Talk privately? Mr. White, what do you have to say that you can’t say in front of everyone? Are you feeling guilty? Do you really think you can treat us students like this just because you have a little bit of power?】 I was getting annoyed and didn’t want to keep arguing with her, but she seemed relentless. 【A male teacher wanting to ‘talk privately’ with a female student late at night? Are you hinting at something, Mr. White?】 That accusation made me panic a bit. Several universities had major scandals regarding sexual harassment this year, causing massive public outrage. Being associated with something like that was social suicide. 【Chloe, please don’t misinterpret my words. I meant that if you have questions, you can come to my office tomorrow to discuss them.】 【Sorry, too late. Since you don’t want to explain, I’ll see you at the academic affairs office!】 Boosting students’ grades to help them pass is a common practice among professors, but it’s certainly not something you can broadcast publicly. The professors know it, the administration knows it, and there’s an unspoken agreement. But now that Chloe was demanding a formal review, this was definitely going to blow up. I worried about the unnecessary trouble it would cause, so I sent her a private message. 【Chloe, your grade was actually curved up. Don’t go asking for a review, or it’s going to look bad for everyone.】 The moment I sent it, Chloe took a screenshot of my message and posted it in the class group, tagging me again. 【Mr. White, are you threatening me? What do you mean it’s going to ‘look bad’?】 I was doomed. The more I tried to explain, the worse it looked. Thankfully, Mia, the class representative for physics, chimed in to help me out. 【The physics exam was pretty hard this time, so Mr. White gave everyone a reasonable curve. Let’s not make a big deal out of it.】 Seeing that I wasn’t replying but someone else was defending me, Chloe immediately aimed her fire at Mia. 【You got a 90, of course you’re taking his side because he gave you a huge curve! He lowered our grades just to make sure you guys got the ‘Excellent’ marks, didn’t he?】 Generally, universities have a rule capping the “Excellent” grade rate at 30%. Having all “Excellent” grades significantly boosts a student’s chances of getting a recommendation for graduate school. This was likely the real reason Chloe was so upset about her 61. Mia, probably speechless, fired back: 【I’m just stating the facts!】 【Stating the facts? Then tell me, what were you doing bringing a huge bag of stuff to Mr. White’s office a few days ago?】 That single sentence made the group chat explode. Students who failed or scored in the low 60s started getting restless, sending passive-aggressive emojis. 2 Seeing the group chat teetering on the edge of chaos, I immediately called the academic counselor and asked her to talk to a few of the students so we could sort it out in my office tomorrow. Meanwhile, Chloe was still riling everyone up in the chat. 【Looks like I got a 61 because I didn’t ‘show my appreciation’ to the teacher. Look at what a 90 gets you!】 Several students who scored in the 60s started joining the mob. 【Yeah, there’s obviously a reason she gets to be the class rep.】 【Thanks for speaking up, Chloe! I support an exam review!】 Soon, many others started a chain message showing their support. Mia was probably crying from the stress. She came from a poor, mountainous region, and her parents were farmers. When I found out they had some local produce they didn’t know how to sell, a few other professors and I pitched in to buy it to help her out. But this was something I couldn’t easily explain. Mia was a prideful girl, fiercely independent with top grades. I didn’t want to announce to the whole class that I was doing it to help a student from a low-income family. Just then, Chloe tagged me again: 【Mr. White, instead of fixing the problem, you’re trying to use the administration to silence us?】 【What’s going on?】 The chat immediately went into gossip mode. 【I just got a call from the counselor telling me to stop making a fuss. Am I the one making a fuss? I’m the victim here! But whatever, I recorded the call. See you all online!】 Crap. My intention was to keep the situation contained, but now I had dragged the counselor into the crossfire. Shortly after, Chloe posted a link to her social media account. 【Everyone, please like and share this to blow this up! Otherwise, certain teachers are just going to keep doing whatever they want!】 Watching Chloe’s actions, my head started pounding. 【Mr. White, this isn’t over. I’m filing a formal complaint tomorrow!】 According to university policy, a student just needs the administration’s approval to review their exam paper. Chloe could have completely resolved this by simply submitting a request. But she clearly wanted to make a huge scene and went straight to writing a formal whistleblower complaint. The next day, right after my morning classes, the administration called me in and handed me a document. 【To the Esteemed Leadership of Academic Affairs: My name is Chloe, a student in Electronic Technology Class 1702. I am officially reporting Professor Liam White for severe and intentional grade suppression on the recent Advanced Physics final exam. There is a massive discrepancy between my actual exam score and the final grade posted. Professor White refused to explain this discrepancy. Furthermore, late at night, he hinted that as a female student, I should ‘communicate privately’ with him. When I sternly refused, he resorted to personal threats. To uphold fairness and justice, I demand the following: First, the immediate public release of my original exam paper and the detailed grading rubric; Second, the formation of an independent third-party committee by the university to regrade ALL exam papers; Third, the termination of Professor Liam White!】 The manipulative phrasing sent a chill down my spine. Sitting across from the Director of Academic Affairs and the Vice President, I realized this situation was officially out of my control. “Professor White, what exactly is going on? This complaint didn’t just come to us; Chloe posted it all over social media. There are tens of thousands of people following the story online.” “Private late-night communication,” “personal threats,” plus a male teacher and a female student. In the current social climate, it was impossible for those buzzwords not to go viral. I had already seen her video the day before. Tens of thousands of comments were accusing me of abusing my power to exploit students. Some people had painted me as a corrupt, lecherous academic tyrant, when in reality, I was just a stressed-out junior faculty member. I didn’t dare hide anything. I immediately gave them a completely honest account of how I curved the students’ grades. The Director thought for a moment. “This method of curving grades to save students is something everyone uses, it’s just never discussed openly. However, since a student has formally reported it, we have to handle it seriously.” The Vice President nodded. “Right now, it’s not just about the grades. The more pressing issue is managing the public fallout. Try to accommodate the student’s demands as much as possible. Director Lee, arrange this and handle it quickly. I’ll have the PR department contact you. Once we have a result, the university committee will discuss it and issue an official statement.” As I was nearing the door, the Vice President called out one last instruction. “Of course, it would be best if you could resolve this with the student through mediation. After all, word getting out that we arbitrarily boost grades to ensure passing rates isn’t exactly honorable. It’s an academic incident and it damages the university’s reputation.” 3 The department quickly organized an internal mediation session. Chloe, seeing both the department heads and me present, remained incredibly arrogant. “Dean, my demands are simple. First, fire Professor White. Second, regrade the exams. Not just mine, but every single person’s exam must be thoroughly reviewed!” “Chloe, let’s put aside your first demand for now. If you have doubts about your own grade, the university is certainly willing to help you review it. But regarding other students’ grades…” “No! The university limits the percentage of ‘Excellent’ grades. If you only check mine, even if I actually scored a 90, Mia could just be curved up to a 100!” The Dean frowned. Director Lee, sitting next to him, coughed. “Miss, regrading all the exams is an enormous amount of work. Furthermore, individual grades are the privacy of other students. Without sufficient justification, it’s very difficult for us to do that.” Chloe rolled her eyes, stood up, and pulled out her phone. “Justification? Are tens of thousands of eyes watching this online not enough justification? Is Professor White admitting to curving grades in WeChat not justification? If other people got a 50-point boost and I got nothing, what’s the point of only checking my paper?” As Chloe got more worked up, Director Lee hastily stood up. “Okay, okay. Please don’t get excited. The exam papers are all still here. If you insist on checking them, we can do that. As for your claims about Professor White threatening or harassing you, I’ve reviewed the WeChat logs and it appears to be normal communication…” “Normal communication? If the university refuses to handle this, I’m calling the police right now!” Before any of us could react, Chloe dialed 911. The Dean and the Director watched this unfold, visibly annoyed. She was calling the cops in the middle of an internal mediation. I wasn’t going to say anything, but seeing Chloe’s relentless, scorched-earth attitude, I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Chloe, do you realize that if your regraded score is failing, you lose your eligibility for scholarships and honors this year? And you’ll permanently lose your eligibility for a grad school recommendation…” “Professor White, stop trying to scare me with that! I just want fairness and justice! I can’t let you teachers do whatever you want!” The absolute hard requirement for a grad school recommendation at our university is zero failed classes. Even if every other grade is an A, if you have one fail, you’re out. If you don’t fail, your extracurriculars, research, and competitions can boost your chances. But a single failure disqualifies you from recommendations, honors, and scholarships entirely. Chloe was currently under review for a scholarship this year. All this fighting was just to bump her ranking up slightly for the grad school recommendation list. If her actual grade was published, both her grad school hopes and this year’s scholarship would vanish. You can’t save someone who’s determined to jump off a cliff. I decided to keep my mouth shut. 4 Before long, a police cruiser pulled up outside the academic building. A crowd of students gathered, and rumors immediately started flying that someone was going to jump off the building because they failed a class, drawing an even larger crowd. The police officers looked at the “evidence” Chloe provided with a mix of exasperation and disbelief. “We can’t handle the grading review; that’s an internal university matter. As for the harassment and threats… we’ve looked at the chat logs, and it constitutes normal communication.” “Telling me to ‘communicate privately’ in the middle of the night isn’t harassment? Telling a female student to secretly meet a male teacher late at night, isn’t that disgusting?” “Miss, you have to look at the context. You asked a question, and the teacher gave a single reply regarding your question. Furthermore, he didn’t tell you to come find him in the middle of the night!” “Fine. Then what did he mean when he privately messaged me saying it’s going to ‘look bad for everyone’? Is he saying he’s going to make me look bad if I ask for a review? If that’s not a threat, what is?” I was so angry I stood up to explain, but the officer waved me off. “The teacher said the grades were adjusted. If this is made public, everyone will be embarrassed. ‘Look bad’ means exactly that—it’s an embarrassment. It doesn’t mean he’s going to attack you! I’m an outsider and I understand that perfectly. Are you telling me a college student doesn’t?” Chloe wasn’t buying it and started questioning the police. “Why are you just trying to sweep this under the rug? Do you only take things seriously when someone actually dies?” The officers’ eyes went wide. “Alright, then both of you are coming down to the station to give official statements!” “I didn’t do anything wrong, it’s his problem! Why should I go? Do you have any sense of logic?” The officers were completely stunned by Chloe’s thought process. “This is standard police procedure! Both the person reporting the crime and the involved party need to give statements!” “That’s so annoying. Fine, I’m not reporting it anymore!” The two officers were instantly furious and began reprimanding her. “Miss, calling the police is a very serious matter, and you’re treating it like a joke?” “Why are you yelling at me? Is this how you serve the public?” At this point, not only was my jaw on the floor, but the university administrators were also staring in shock. “Miss, I am now officially summoning you to the police station. Please come with us!” Hearing this, Chloe aggressively shoved the officer. “What are you doing?!” Seeing the situation escalating, the Dean quickly stepped in to block the officers. “Officers, please, I’m so sorry. She’s just a student, she’s young and doesn’t know any better. We will definitely strengthen our disciplinary education…” 5 The Dean spent a long time pleading before the officers finally agreed not to press charges. As they left, they kept shaking their heads, muttering about “what’s wrong with college students these days.” I thought that after experiencing that, Chloe would calm down a bit. But perhaps she hadn’t fully vented her anger at the police, because she immediately turned her sights back on us. “Teachers, if you want to keep protecting this unethical professor and refuse to regrade everyone’s exams, I will continue exposing this to the media!” The Dean was losing his patience. “Chloe, do you know what the most important prerequisite is for a grad school recommendation at this university?” “I know. No failed classes!” “Then have you ever considered what the consequences will be if your regraded physics score is a failing grade?” The Dean’s words made Chloe freeze for a second, but she quickly recovered. “Dean, you don’t need to try and scare me with that. I know what my actual score is!” The Dean, completely exasperated, slammed his hand on the table. “What exactly will it take for you to drop this? Why are you so dead-set on creating a media circus?” Seeing the Dean get angry only made Chloe more smug. “If the university can truly be fair and transparent, what are you afraid of being posted online? If you’re afraid, it means the university is hiding something!” Every single teacher in the room was left speechless. Watching Chloe’s smug, fearless demeanor, I was practically shaking with anger. “Dean, no matter what, my unauthorized adjustment of the students’ grades counts as an academic incident. You can discipline me however you see fit. As for Chloe’s demand to regrade all the exams, I support it! And regarding the incident with Mia bringing things to my office, the entire physics department knows exactly what happened. You can just go ask them. I also have the transfer records for the payment we made to her.” “Who knows if you just faked those transfer records later!” Chloe snapped. “Look for yourself!” I slammed my phone with the transfer records down in front of her. “Professor White, calm down.” The Dean placated me, then turned back to Chloe: “Is there truly no room for mediation?” Chloe pretended to think about it. “Actually, it’s not impossible to mediate…” Seeing a sign she might yield, the Dean immediately pressed: “Tell us, what are your conditions?” “Give me a guaranteed spot for the grad school recommendation program!” 6 That single sentence plunged the entire room into dead silence. I let out a cold laugh. “So this is the ‘fairness’ you’ve been demanding? In your eyes, ‘fairness’ is just a bargaining chip?” “It’s not like there isn’t a precedent. Are there really that few reports of this kind of thing online?” I finally understood. From the moment she sent that first WeChat message, her goal was to blow this up as much as possible, and this was her ultimate endgame. Her logic was actually: Some universities give students grad school spots to silence online PR disasters, so why can’t my university do the same? “Absolutely not! Grad school recommendations are evaluated based on a comprehensive review of grades, research capabilities, competition results, and moral character. They are not bargaining chips for negotiation.” The Dean immediately rejected Chloe’s proposal. I wasn’t going to hold back anymore either. “Dean, let’s just follow Chloe’s demands and regrade every single student’s physics exam. I am willing to accept any punishment from the university!” The Dean’s face was dark. “Very well. I will report this to the university leadership immediately. Pending the investigation, Professor White is suspended from all teaching and research duties, and is disqualified from all upcoming promotion and honors evaluations!” With that, he turned and left without looking back. I understood. This was an academic incident, and I could accept this level of discipline. Chloe hadn’t expected the Dean to refuse so flatly. But hearing that my teaching, research, promotions, and honors were all suspended, she looked at me with smug satisfaction. “Chloe, have you ever considered what you’ll do if your grade really isn’t a 61?” “Impossible. I checked my answers against the key. Besides, students who are worse than me scored in the 70s. How could I possibly only have a 61?” Seeing her absolute confidence, I sighed. “But what if? What if your grade is a fail? Your future honors, grad school recommendations, and scholarships will all be gone!” Chloe sneered. “Professor White, you can’t even save yourself right now. Who are you trying to scare?” 7 Soon, the university agreed to regrade everyone’s physics exams. To ensure fairness, in addition to the professors from the physics department, they specifically invited several PhD students from the graduate school to jointly review all the exams. Furthermore, the university’s PR department publicly promised that, with the students’ consent, they would release the original exams for public review. Chloe was incredibly smug, feeling that the university had completely capitulated to her demands. She figured the moment they found an issue, she would demand I be fired. Of course, she likely also planned to use it as further leverage to negotiate for that grad school recommendation spot. Seeing the official notice from the university, the students who had scored in the 60s and joined the mob in the group chat started messaging me privately. “Professor White, we were misled by Chloe. She said we could fight for higher grades, and that the university would try to quietly settle this. She even said we might get grad school spots. Could you… maybe not regrade our papers?” Looking at these students, I knew exactly how they had been dragged into this. But they had also fanned the flames. If even one of them had spoken up for me, it wouldn’t have escalated to this point. They weren’t innocent. “I’m sorry, but this regrading is organized by the university. I have no power over it. You’ll have to talk to the administration.” Chloe had completely obliterated the option of “private communication.” I wouldn’t do it, and the university certainly wouldn’t do it. Who knew if these students would just turn around and report us again after the communication? The university also spoke with me. They told me to prepare myself: if I truly had maliciously suppressed grades targeting specific students, the university wouldn’t be able to protect me. I had nothing to prepare for. My conscience was clear, and all the exams could stand up to scrutiny. Chloe continued to vocalize her grievances on social media. Her targets were no longer just me; they now included the “corrupt university protecting an unethical teacher,” the “useless police trying to sweep it under the rug,” and the “incompetent administration.” Driven by her relentless narrative, more and more people started following the story. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that public opinion is a double-edged sword. However many people supported her now, even more would turn around and cyberbully her once the results came out. Everything she was doing now was just laying the groundwork for her own future destruction. After a week, all the exams had been reviewed by multiple different people, and the final results were submitted to the academic affairs office. To ensure absolute accuracy, the office randomly selected several exams and sent them to an external university for a final audit. Once everything was fully prepared, the university published the official handling of the incident on its website. 8 Because Chloe filed a formal complaint, the academic affairs office had to give her an official response. Before the public announcement, Chloe and I were called into the office. Director Lee pulled out Chloe’s exam, along with the results of the cross-audit by the two external professors, and handed them to her. “Chloe, this is your exam paper. It shows Professor White’s original grading, as well as the cross-audit by two other professors. Your final, actual score is a 37!” Hearing that score, Chloe froze in place, seemingly completely unable to believe it. She frantically flipped through her exam, muttering to herself, “Impossible, impossible, I checked the answer key, it should be at least a 70…” “Actually, according to university policy, a score between 40 and 60 allows you to take a makeup exam. However, a score below 40 requires you to retake the entire course. You will need to pay the retake fee, and since Physics is only offered in the Fall semester, you will have to wait an entire year!” I suspected the academic affairs office did that on purpose. Chloe hadn’t even processed the shock of the 37 before they delivered another fatal blow. Hearing that she didn’t even have the chance for a makeup exam, her face turned stark white. Of course, whether it was a makeup exam or a full retake, the difference for her wasn’t that big. Either way, her eligibility for grad school recommendations, honors, and scholarships were completely wiped out. “What about Mia? What about everyone else? Are you guys targeting me?!” Chloe frantically threw her exam paper on the floor and rushed at Director Lee. But Director Lee remained completely calm. “Out of 50 students, 45 had originally ‘passed.’ But after the regrade, the raw scores of 17 of those students were actually below 60. Fortunately, the majority of them scored above a 40, so they only need to take the makeup exam next semester.” Chloe stood frozen. In that moment, she seemed to finally realize that the grad school recommendation she had obsessed over was permanently out of reach. The scholarship she was supposed to get this year had vanished, and any hope for honors next semester was dead. More importantly, how was she going to face the 16 classmates she had dragged down with her, and the hundreds of thousands of netizens who had supported her crusade? “I don’t believe it, I need to see for myself!” She crawled on the floor, picking up the pages of the exam she had thrown, organizing them, and checking every single question one by one. But how could three different physics professors all make a mistake?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394492”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The night I was kicked out of my marriage with nothing, I wandered the streets alone. By chance, I saw a small flyer on a lamppost: [Wanted: Stepmother for a child. Age and appearance not an issue; must be patient with children. Room and board included.] The “room and board included” part caught my eye. That very night, I dragged my suitcase to the address. And walked into the home of the city’s richest man. Later, my ex-husband asked me with a condescending tone: “Chloe, do you realize your mistake now?” The four-year-old little tyrant roared: “What mistake?! My mom is the best in the world!!!” The billionaire put his arm around my shoulder: “My wife, even if she is wrong, she is right.” 1 I never expected that the flyer posted on a telephone pole belonged to the richest man in the city. Right now, I was standing at the entrance of a grand villa. Beside me was a haughty butler. “Our employer is looking for a stepmother for his child, not a wife for himself. You must remember that.” “Our employer is very wealthy; do not entertain any inappropriate thoughts.” I kept my head slightly bowed, my gaze fixed straight ahead. I deeply sighed; this job was absolutely perfect for me. To put it bluntly, isn’t this just hiring a high-end nanny for the child? I just got divorced this morning. If you asked me to remarry right now, I honestly wouldn’t have the energy for it. But taking care of a child meant I had a place to stay, and I wouldn’t have to spend money renting an apartment. For someone as destitute as I was right now, this was like receiving a delivery of coal in the middle of a snowstorm. I nodded respectfully. “I understand. I will absolutely not entertain any inappropriate thoughts.” The butler nodded and led me into the dining room. Next to a massive, long dining table, a young father was engaged in a tug-of-war. The intense-looking man held a bowl and a spoon, his expression displeased. A melancholic little boy bit his lip, refusing to open his mouth, not backing down an inch. Time seemed to stand still. After a long while, the man sighed, the first to concede defeat. He put down the bowl in frustration. His knuckles, sharp and defined, pinched the bridge of his nose. He lowered his voice: “Just one bite, just a tiny bite, okay?” The butler stepped forward: “Sir, another applicant has arrived. This one seems quite grounded today.” The man slowly turned around. He was wearing simple black trousers and a white dress shirt, with the top button undone, faintly revealing the shadow of his collarbone. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong, pale forearms. I had seen this face on the financial news. He was striking and excessively handsome, the kind of face you’d never forget after seeing it once. Earlier, I had secretly worried if this might be a scam. Now, seeing his face, I completely relaxed. A man of his status had absolutely no reason to spend effort scamming a destitute, divorced woman like me. The man’s deep gaze swept lightly over me. His voice carried a trace of exhaustion. “What’s your name?” I guessed he had probably just finished a busy day at work and hadn’t even had time to change his clothes before coming to feed the child. Only to suffer a heavy blow. Feeding a child was probably harder for him than signing a billion-dollar contract. “Chloe Hastings,” I said. He gave a barely perceptible nod and handed the bowl to me: “You try.” After the man finished speaking, he stood up, moved to the sofa, and crossed his arms, watching me with a relaxed posture. This must be the job interview. I had to perform well. If I could stay, at least I wouldn’t have to sleep under a bridge tonight. Holding the bowl, I curved my lips into what I considered a motherly smile and walked toward the boy. But before I could take two steps, the boy darted under the table with a whoosh. Only a pair of large, dark eyes, like black grapes, peeked out. He yelled angrily at the man: “I don’t want to! Tell her to get out! I won’t let her feed me! They are all bad women!” It seemed that before me, the boy had already dealt with who knows how many “stepmothers.” Then I really needed to show what I could do. I glanced around and noticed Ultraman toys scattered everywhere in the room, and an idea popped into my head. I grabbed a few Ultraman figures and placed them on the floor next to the boy under the table. I smiled and said: “Don’t worry, I’m not feeding you. I’m feeding Tiga and Seven. You don’t need to worry.” With that, I pretended to feed the Ultraman figures: “Eat up. You need to be full to save the world.” “Kids who don’t like to eat have skinny arms and legs. If you can’t even protect yourself, how can you protect humanity?” “Oh, you want vegetables? Good boy, eating spinach gives you strength.” The boy lay pitifully to the side, looking like he had been forgotten. He smacked his lips a few times, but I pretended not to notice. It wasn’t until his nose turned red with anxiety and he was about to cry that I acted as if I had just discovered him: “Oh my! Why is there a baby Ultraman here? Tiga, can you share some of your leftover food with him? He needs to eat to grow strong like you.” Tiga: “Yes.” I smiled: “Alright, since Tiga said so, I’ll share a little with you. But you can’t eat too much, or you’ll grow bigger than Tiga, and he’ll be sad.” The boy nodded vigorously. Before my spoon even reached him, he opened his mouth and took a big bite. After eating several large mouthfuls, he even accused me with his eyes: “Why aren’t you giving me vegetables? Are you afraid I’ll surpass Tiga? Bad woman!” I turned to look at the man. His brow had relaxed, and he gave me a look of approval. 2 That night, I moved into the villa. The villa had three floors. I lived on the second floor with four-year-old Leo Vance, while Ethan Vance lived on the third floor by himself. The butler repeatedly instructed me: “You are absolutely not allowed to go up to the third floor. Before, there was a woman who didn’t know her place and sneaked up in the middle of the night to climb into Sir’s bed, and she was thrown out the window by Sir.” I nodded repeatedly, promising not to cross the line. Like father, like son; the billionaire’s son could sleep by himself at four years old, which saved me a lot of trouble. The next afternoon, when Ethan came home from work, I was at the front door feeding Leo. Leo had a dog leash around his neck, sitting side-by-side on the ground with a large Golden Retriever. One bite for the Golden Retriever, one bite for Leo. They were having a grand old time. Ethan’s face darkened on the spot. “Chloe, what do you think my son is!” His voice was fierce and cold, startling me. “Woof!” Leo spoke first, “Dad, Chloe and I are playing a role-playing game. Look, I’m eating way more than the Golden Retriever! Woof! Woof woof! Woof woof woof woof woof!” Ethan’s frown deepened, and he slowly turned to the butler. The butler’s expression was complicated. He hesitated before speaking: “Sir, although Miss Chloe’s method is a bit peculiar, the results are obvious! Before, we had to chase him to feed him, and the young master still wouldn’t eat. But this afternoon, the young master has already eaten two bowls of rice, swearing he must eat more than the Golden Retriever.” Ethan’s face was a mask of dark lines, his thin lips pressed tightly together. He coldly watched his son take big bites of rice, vegetables, and meat, and slurp down soup. He let out a breath: “Um, people and dogs still need to use separate utensils.” I immediately replied: “Don’t worry, Sir. Your dog is very clean; he hasn’t even touched the young master’s spoon.” Ethan was stunned, his face darkened further, and he turned and walked into the villa. Leo inhaled two and a half bowls of rice in one go. His stomach was bloated like a balloon, and he kept stretching his neck, hiccuping continuously. I had no choice but to take him and the Golden Retriever for a half-hour walk in the downstairs garden to help him digest before heading upstairs. What I didn’t know was that Ethan was standing at the second-floor window, watching us. Watching his son happily race the Golden Retriever, barking “woof woof woof,” the corners of his tightly pressed lips curled into a long-absent smile. The butler sighed repeatedly: “This Miss Chloe is truly unorthodox! The young master, who usually doesn’t like to eat, doesn’t like to talk, and doesn’t like to exercise, has changed so much in just one day. Sir, it seems we’ve found the right person this time.” When I went upstairs, Ethan was sitting on the sofa on the first floor, his long legs crossed, exuding an outstanding aura. I took the dog leash off Leo. Just as I was about to take him upstairs for a bath, Ethan called out to me: “Chloe, let’s talk.” “Oh, okay, Mr. Vance.” I handed the child over to the butler and sat properly across from Ethan. “You’re very good at interacting with children. Have you had children before?” “I haven’t had children, but I helped take care of my ex-husband’s sister’s child for two years.” At that time, my ex-husband’s family felt I was earning too little and ordered me to quit my job. After I quit, they felt I was lazy, so they fired his sister’s nanny and made me take care of the child. Ethan nodded: “Your profile says you are divorced?” “Yes.” “What was the reason?” “We were from different social classes.” Ethan gave me a deep look: “You saw the job posting yesterday. I want to find a mother for Leo. The child lacks a sense of security and only wants to stay at home. He refuses to go out, let alone go to kindergarten. I’m very busy with work, so I want to find a patient woman to be his mother.” “I will sign a prenuptial agreement with you and have our assets notarized.” I nodded: “I understand.” 3 That’s how these wealthy families operate. Although my previous marriage was based on free will and love. But because of the huge difference in status, we also signed a prenuptial agreement. So when the feelings faded and we divorced, I was left with nothing, even my wedding ring was taken back. For a top-tier wealthy family like Ethan’s, marriage was treated with even more caution. “Actually, just having a place to stay is enough for me. We don’t need to get the marriage certificate,” I said. Ethan insisted: “Getting the certificate is for Leo. I want to find him a long-term mother, and marriage is the most solid contract.” I nodded submissively: “Then we’ll do as you say.” “Don’t worry, I will give you an allowance of a hundred thousand a month for your expenses.” This was the issue I cared about the most, having been burned in this area before. “Mr. Vance, I’d like to ask, if we get divorced in the future, can I take the allowance you give me?” “Naturally, that money is given to you.” “That works.” “Regarding marital intimacy, I currently have no such needs. Therefore, you will still sleep on the second floor.” “Okay, I don’t have any either.” And just like that, on the third day after my divorce, I was married again. Just like my first marriage, there was no wedding ceremony. At dinner, the butler specially added a few more dishes. Ethan handed me a diamond ring. I waved my hand and said: “There’s no need.” Ethan said: “It’s for Leo.” “Oh, okay, thank you for the expense.” That night, just as I lay down, Leo pushed open my bedroom door and stood there, looking extremely conflicted. “What’s wrong?” I asked. He twisted his fingers, speaking awkwardly: “Chloe, can you read me a bedtime story?” “What?” I thought I heard wrong. Leo bit his lip: “I’ll ask my dad to give you a raise. Of course, if you don’t want to, forget it.” “Come here.” I beckoned to him. I lifted the covers, and the little boy happily crawled in. That night, after finishing the book, Leo fell asleep in my bed. Early the next morning, Ethan was very shocked to hear about it, and admiration appeared on his face once again. “Chloe, thank you for your hard work. I’ll add another fifty thousand to your monthly allowance.” “Mr. Vance, that’s too much!” It really was too much. After all, I contributed much more in my previous marriage, yet when we divorced, I was so poor I couldn’t even afford a motel. During the day, I took care of my ex-husband’s sister’s child. At night, I cooked for my ex-husband, fulfilled his physical needs, and then had to get up in the middle of the night to clean the house. Because my mother-in-law said: “Even though we don’t lack the money to hire a nanny, it doesn’t look right for Chloe to just sit around the house every day doing nothing.” Even so, during the divorce, the Davis family claimed I had enjoyed three years of luxury. “Mr. Vance, you’re giving me too much. I actually really like Leo; he’s cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and very kind. I’m just reading him a book, it’s no trouble at all.” As we were talking, I suddenly felt something warm grab my right hand. I looked down and saw Leo holding my hand, looking up at me. His little face was serious, but his large, black, grape-like eyes were watery and cute. I didn’t expect him to be moved so easily. Ethan said: “The women who came before only cared about pleasing me and ignored Leo’s feelings. Adding the fifty thousand is settled.” Unable to decline, I could only say thank you. From that day on, Leo and I were inseparable. Ethan was very busy, so most of the time, it was just the two of us at home. Until the day I needed to go to the hospital for a follow-up and to get my medication. The butler had explicitly told me that Leo couldn’t go out the main gate of the villa, or he would have a stress reaction. So I discussed it with him, asking him to wait for me at home and promising I’d be back as soon as possible. I didn’t expect Leo to hold onto my hand tightly, refusing to let go. He didn’t speak, just looked at me with those beautiful, melancholy eyes. The butler sighed: “He’s afraid you’ll leave and not want him anymore.” I patted his head: “I’m not leaving. I’ll come back and read with you as soon as I see the doctor. You play by yourself for a bit, okay?” While I was trying to explain to him, he took the lead and climbed into the car. The butler asked anxiously: “Young Master, are you also going to the hospital with Auntie Chloe?” Leo nodded silently. The butler instantly burst into tears: “The heavens have eyes! God bless the Vance family!” 4 The doctor said my depression had improved recently and encouraged me to continue staying positive and relaxed. Before I left, he prescribed a bunch of medication for me. Coming out of the consultation room, Leo asked awkwardly: “Chloe, are you sick?” “Yeah, Auntie didn’t eat properly, so she got sick. Leo, you must absolutely not be like Auntie!” “Will it hurt?” His large eyes were full of worry. “If it hurts, I can give you candy.” Saying that, he pulled a piece of chocolate from his pocket and placed it in my hand. “Eating candy makes you forget the pain. My dad told me that.” Looking at his innocent and concerned little face, my tears fell without warning. During my three years with the Davis family, whenever I cried, they said I was being dramatic, that my lower-class background made me unfit for the life of a young madam. When I said I had depression, Mark said I was being melodramatic, intentionally trying to annoy him and cause trouble. Even the little nephew I had carefully looked after for over two years called me an ugly monster who caused trouble during the divorce. But this cold-faced child was willing to give me his favorite candy to comfort me. Unable to hold back, I pulled Leo into my arms. He curled up quietly in my arms, a tiny little bundle, and patted my back with his chubby little hands. “Chloe, I will definitely eat well. When I grow up, I can protect you.” I broke into a smile through my tears: “Then you need to grow up fast!” When the two of us came out of the hospital with red eyes, a low-profile Maybach was parked at the entrance, and Ethan was leaning against it. His tall, straight figure and cold, noble face immediately attracted a lot of attention. I took Leo’s hand and walked over. “Mr. Vance, why are you here?” Ethan picked up his son, looking at his calm demeanor, his eyes reddened slightly, and his voice was a bit hoarse. “I heard from the butler that Leo went out with you. I was worried, so I came to check.” Leo leaned against Ethan’s chest, holding my hand. “Dad, as long as I’m with Chloe, you don’t need to worry.” Ethan gave me a deep look and nodded. “Dad knows.” That night, Ethan wanted to increase my allowance again. I was so terrified I repeatedly refused. He asked again: “Chloe, if you have any requests, you can mention them.” I hesitated for a long time before saying: “Could you help me find a used car? Something around five thousand dollars total, so it’s easier for me to get around.” Ethan said: “You can go to my garage and pick any car you want.” “The cheapest car in your garage is over two hundred thousand, I wouldn’t dare drive it.” Ethan nodded: “Okay.” Early the next morning, a five-thousand-dollar minivan was parked next to Ethan’s luxury cars. He also invited a psychologist, supposedly globally renowned, to the house. The diagnosis was the same as the hospital’s. Except the medication prescribed to me was entirely replaced with imported drugs I couldn’t bear to spend money on before. Before leaving, the doctor advised Ethan: “Mr. Vance, your wife needs her family’s companionship, don’t put too much pressure on her.” Ethan nodded: “I’ll remember that.” The next day, I drove Leo out to play. He lacked a sense of security before, and even a slight scare outside could make him hysterical, so he had been to very few places. Now, I wanted to show him more of the outside world. We went to the amusement park first, then to the wet market. The little tyke followed behind me, helping me carry a lively, flopping fish, his handsome little face drawn into a tight line. “Chloe! I don’t want to carry this!” “But my hands are too full, can you please help me?” I acted pitiful. Leo gritted his teeth, holding the fish as far away as possible, looking incredibly disgusted, but said: “Fine! I’ll only help you this one time!” “Don’t buy fish next time!” I chuckled secretly. But when we got to the parking lot, I heard a familiar voice. “Chloe?” 5 It was Mark, my ex-husband. He wore a crisp suit, his hair perfectly styled, looking very handsome and suave. Hearing this voice again after over a month, my heart involuntarily clenched. Mark and I got together in college, and after graduation, he overcame all obstacles to marry me. I had received a lot of neglect in my family of origin, and Mark swore at our wedding to protect me for life. But later, after he took over his family’s business, he increasingly felt that I was holding him back and couldn’t help his career. He started finding fault with everything. He made me quit my job, made me take care of the entire Davis family, made me babysit his sister’s child, and made me walk on eggshells around his family. I could endure all of this. After all, we married for love. I didn’t receive much love from my original family either. Now it was just a change of environment. But later, I caught Mark kissing a glamorous woman at a high-end club. I could no longer suppress my emotions. I cried, I made a scene, I demanded he swear he would never do it again. The entire Davis family thought I was making a mountain out of a molehill. They thought I didn’t appreciate what I had. “What successful man doesn’t have a woman on each arm?” Mark even said that the way I was acting was because he had spoiled me. From that day on, our cold war began. He stopped coming home and blocked all my contact information. My condition worsened. The doctor warned me not to endure any more stress. In utter despair, I asked for a divorce. Mark thought I was using marriage to threaten him. The Davis family told him not to let me get my way, otherwise, I would just push my luck. He immediately had a lawyer draft a divorce agreement, demanding I leave with nothing. I signed it without hesitation. Four years of dating, three years of marriage, abruptly ended. At this moment, while I was still immersed in the sorrow of the past, Mark had already walked towards me. He glanced at the groceries in my hand, then at Leo beside me, his gaze finally landing on the minivan next to me. A trace of contempt showed in his eyes. He smiled mockingly: “Chloe, a graduate of a top university like you running off to be someone’s nanny, what were you thinking?” “None of your business.” “Chloe, why don’t you understand? From the day you married into the Davis family, you no longer represented just yourself; you represented the face of the Davis family.” “Mark, we’re already divorced. I have absolutely nothing to do with your Davis family now.” The mockery in Mark’s eyes deepened: “Chloe, after a divorce, you’re my ex-wife. When people mention you, they will still bring me up. Can you please stop embarrassing me? Can you think before you act? Stop letting your emotions dictate your actions all the time.” I didn’t want to hear his words anymore. Even less did I want to let these words pollute Leo’s ears. I immediately took Leo’s hand to get in the car. Mark grabbed my hand: “Chloe, you’ve been out for so many days, it must have been tough, right? Are you missing the life of a young madam at the Davis family?” “If you admit your mistake and genuinely reform, I can consider remarrying you.” “Those women outside are just flings. The position of my wife, I haven’t considered anyone else for now, I’ve saved it for you.” “As long as you change your terrible temper and bow your head to apologize to my family, I—” I forcefully shook off his hand: “No need to save it. President Davis can give that prestigious position to someone else, I don’t want it!” 6 On the way back, another number called me. It was Mark’s little nephew, the child I had carefully looked after for two years. Although I blocked the Davis family, I only kept his number, feeling that the child himself wasn’t at fault, but rather the adults guiding him. Besides, after taking care of him for two years, I felt we had formed a bond. “Hello, Kevin.” I adjusted my emotions, making my voice sound as gentle as possible. “Chloe! Abandoned woman! My mom wants to talk to you!” Kevin yelled viciously. All my tenderness was choked in my throat. Then, Mark’s older sister took the phone: “Chloe, I heard from Mark that you went to be someone’s nanny?” “Can’t you look at the bigger picture? By doing this, aren’t you directly slapping Mark in the face, slapping the Davis family in the face? What will people say about our Davis family behind our backs?” “Chloe, no wonder I looked down on you. You really are, as always, degrading yourself, unfit for high society!” I hung up and blocked the number. Pulling the car over to the side of the road, I finally couldn’t control my emotions, leaned on the steering wheel, and sobbed out loud. I don’t know how much time passed, but the pent-up frustration I had accumulated for so long finally dissipated somewhat, and I wearily sat up straight. Yet I still felt a deep sense of powerlessness. “Chloe, here’s a tissue, wipe your face.” Leo suddenly spoke. I then remembered Leo was still sitting in his car seat in the back, and right now he was looking at me eagerly. A small hand offered a tissue. “I’m sorry, did I scare you?” I tried my best to curl the corners of my lips upwards. The butler had repeatedly told me Leo couldn’t handle stress, and I was afraid that scene just now would leave him with childhood trauma. But Leo slowly shook his head. “Chloe, I’m not scared. You can cry slowly, I’ll wait for you.” “It’s not embarrassing for adults to cry, I won’t laugh at you.” I was amused by his childish words. “Thank you, you little sweetie. Auntie has cried enough, and won’t cry again. Let’s go home!” That night, because I wasn’t in a good state, I returned to my room early. A knock sounded on the door. “Chloe, may I come in?” Ethan asked. I had just finished showering and my hair wasn’t dry yet. I carefully pulled my bathrobe tight, confirming nothing was exposed that shouldn’t be, before speaking: “Come in.” Ethan was wearing light gray loungewear, his dark hair falling loosely over his forehead, his tall figure looking somewhat more refined. He sat on the chair by my bed, glanced at my damp hair, unnaturally turned his head, and began to survey the guest room. “The clothes in the walk-in closet, how come I haven’t seen you wear them?” he asked. “Those clothes are too expensive, I’m not used to them.” Being married into the Davis family taught me a lesson. If it’s not your circle, don’t force your way in. Otherwise, when you get kicked out, you’ll look pathetic. Although I got a marriage certificate with Ethan, in essence, I was just a high-end nanny. What nanny wears limited-edition dresses? What’s the difference between that and putting lipstick on a pig? Ethan didn’t understand: “Are the styles not to your liking? If you don’t like them, I’ll have the designer come to the house to custom-make some for you.” I hurriedly waved my hand: “No need, no need. Mr. Vance, besides taking care of Leo every day, I have no occasion to wear clothes like that, I really don’t need them.” He fell silent for a few seconds, then asked: “I heard you ran into your ex-husband today. Your ex-husband’s last name is Davis? Is it the Davis family in medical devices?” I froze. I guessed Leo had told him. I pursed my lips and nodded: “It’s that Davis family, but it’s all in the past.” He saw I was unwilling to talk more about the Davis family, so he changed the subject: “Chloe, since you came to the house, Leo has been much happier. Thank you.” His thanks were very sincere, his dark eyes looking closely at me. I felt a bit uncomfortable: “You’ve given me so much money, this is what I should do.” “Chloe, you can make requests of me, I should be able to satisfy them all.” He added. “Mr. Vance, I really don’t need anything.” Ethan was silent for a moment again, his fingers subconsciously clenching, before he nodded and left. 7 Lately, Ethan had been coming home from work very early. Every night he would have dinner with Leo and me. After dinner, he even played family games with us for a while. As the richest man, this unusual behavior worried me. He wasn’t going bankrupt, was he? I wasn’t actually worried about him going bankrupt. I was worried my monthly salary of a hundred and fifty thousand would be gone. “Mr. Vance, why are you coming home so early lately? If you have business, go attend to it, I’m here for Leo.” Ethan picked up a red building block, his expression natural: “The doctor said you need the companionship of your family. Right now, Leo and I are your family, we have to shoulder this responsibility.” What kind of family are we? I thought to myself. But I didn’t dare say it. “Actually, having Leo accompany me is enough. The doctor said my condition is improving largely because of Leo.” Ethan looked up at me, that one glance containing an indescribable emotion. I didn’t think much of it, taking Leo’s hand: “Come on, Auntie will read with you, Dad still has to work.” Leo obediently let me lead him away, but his dark eyes glared at Ethan. I don’t know if it was my illusion, but in that glance, there seemed to be a bit of disappointment in his father’s lack of progress. “Chloe!” Ethan suddenly called out to me. “What’s wrong?” The tips of Ethan’s ears were actually a bit red, he coughed lightly: “Tomorrow night, I have to attend a banquet, and it’s required to bring a female companion. Can you go with me?” “Me?” I blinked. “Yes, you. Because time is tight, it’s a bit too late to find someone else. I can pay you an appearance fee,” he said. There’s still a whole day left, and with his status, he can’t find a female companion? But I didn’t probe further. After all, there was an appearance fee to be earned, and I’m not stupid. I nodded: “Of course. It’s just that I don’t really understand your social etiquette, will I embarrass you?” Although the Davis family was also wealthy, Mark never took me to high-end events like this. Because his mom said I was an empty vase unfit for public display: “You reek of a petty background, don’t go out and embarrass us!” Ethan’s brow relaxed: “You just need to stay by my side, don’t worry about the rest.” The butler chuckled: “Miss Chloe, you don’t need to understand social etiquette; our Sir is the social etiquette.” Okay, I had no objections to that. After all, Ethan was the man with the most authority in this city. The next afternoon, a styling team arrived at the house. I say “team” because there were five or six people, mostly foreigners. Some were responsible for clothes, some for makeup, some for hair. They gathered together discussing for a long time, looking very professional. It showed how big of a deal the billionaire’s household was, and I instantly became a bit nervous. Ethan came home from work to pick me up. The moment he saw me, a flash of amazement crossed his eyes. Leo held my hand, asking proudly: “Dad, look how pretty Chloe is!” Ethan corrected him: “Call her Auntie.” Leo turned his head with a “hmph,” ignoring him. I patted his head: “It’s okay, call me Chloe, it makes me feel young.”

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