BF sacrificed me to save his first love, 5 years later we met again he held me, but I: Who are you?

BF sacrificed me to save his first love, 5 years later we met again he held me, but I: Who are you?

In the poorest year of my life I sold myself to Jack for three hundred thousand becoming his stand-in for the beautiful moonlight I was teased by his friends and forced to drink until my stomach bled They asked him Do you feel sorry for her He lowered his eyes and said indifferently Just a stand-in Later in order to save the beautiful moonlight Jack watched me fall from a cliff into the sea The search and rescue team never found my body He suddenly went crazy searching for me all over the world Five years later I was invited back to my country and I met him at the event venue He stared at me intently his eyes turning red I know you didn’t die I’ve been looking for you I took a step back politely and awkwardly smiled I’m sorry who are you In Jack’s heart I was just a girlfriend in name only In reality I was just a substitute for Lucy and a low-quality one at that After all she was a noble female star adored by everyone But I came from humble beginnings Jack spent three hundred thousand to buy my dignity On the day Lucy returned to the country discussions about her were trending Jack went to the airport to pick her up for a gathering and before leaving he just casually said to me I won’t be coming home for dinner tonight Only after studying for an hour he called again There was a bottle of rare red wine in the liquor cabinet Find it and bring it to the restaurant he said Just as I had gotten into my study mode the phone interrupted me I sighed found the bottle of wine and drove to the restaurant to deliver it In the private dining room with a great deal of privacy the bright lights and luxurious atmosphere created a celebratory mood In the center were Lucy and Jack like the center of the universe She wore a dazzling silver gown leaning slightly towards Jack with an intimate posture Everyone was cheering Lucy has finally returned you have no idea how long Jack has been waiting for you I walked over and stood in front of Jack The red wine you wanted I found it according to the label so it should be correct The previously harmonious atmosphere froze for a moment when I arrived After placing the wine bottle down I turned to leave Lucy spoke softly from behind Stay Come and open the wine pour it for us I turned around subconsciously looking at Jack He was wearing an unbuttoned shirt leaning back in his chair his gaze casually fixed on me Don’t you understand Can you understand I lowered my eyes and replied I’ll go find someone to get a corkscrew As I left I heard Lucy questioning Is this the kind of person you like now Jack remained silent His friend on the side tried to defend him saying Don’t be angry Lucy Jack only has you in his heart It’s not his fault she’s been pestering him he can’t get rid of her The wine was poured but Lucy still wouldn’t let me go She was holding in her anger asking me to serve the soup peel the shrimp and then smilingly asked Which university did you graduate from Engineering Such a prestigious school hasn’t it taught you what self-respect is She frowned and suddenly raised her hand splashing half of the bowl of soup on my chest then clinging to Jack Is she cheap Is this how you climb the social ladder The liquid soaked through my clothes leaving a burning sensation on the surface of my skin Jack held Lucy’s hand gently comforting her not even giving me a glance The pink diamond necklace you like has been ordered for you Don’t be mad at me okay With a nod from a friend they mixed red and white wines and beer into one full glass pushing it in front of me Drink up consider it an apology to Lucy Another person grumbled discontentedly This wine is so expensive it’s a waste to give it to her In Jack’s circle of friends Lucy was everyone’s beloved moonlight Because of this no one respected me finding ways to tease and make things difficult for me And Jack never stopped them Especially this time as it was in front of Lucy I picked up the murky liquid in the glass and downed it in one go The strong burning sensation brought by the alcohol spread from my throat to my stomach Tears welled up instantly I bent over unable to hold back the gagging feeling Okay no need to ruin your appetite get out Jack said casually tossing me the corkscrew He didn’t control his strength well and the corkscrew hit my forehead After a sharp pain blood started flowing trickling down my cheek He hesitated for a moment subconsciously took a step towards me I held my forehead bowed and then hurriedly ran out When I got back home I took a shower and tended to the wound on my forehead It was then that I realized Jack had also returned He didn’t look very good I began to understand Did you have a fight with Lucy Hannah he coldly scolded walking up to me in long strides grabbing my wrist and pressing me against the edge of the bed I struggled to push him away but Jack’s strength far exceeded mine The light swayed the brightness shining pierced through my closed eyes Tears inevitably seeped out He paused for a moment pinching my chin forcing me to lift my face Why cry feel wronged Hannah didn’t you say you liked me and that you were willing to do anything to stay by my side regardless of status The kiss on my lips was forceful carrying a vicious strength It quickly made me taste the bittersweetness of blood Jack ordered me Have you forgotten everything I taught you before Close your eyes Your eyes they look least like hers In his actions that were far from gentle the pain intensified In my confusion when I opened my eyes I coincidentally met his inexplicably dark gaze a gaze that seemed to carry a certain emotional release Suddenly I understood I had angered Lucy and Jack was punishing me Consumed by a huge sense of shame I thought back to the past When we first met I was a penniless impoverished student And he was the high and mighty Jack In the bar where I worked he got drunk and became furious as he looked at my face Don’t come here and do such despicable things with a face that’s somewhat similar to hers Later my grandmother who was my only family fell ill and I had borrowed money from every possible platform but was still short of three hundred thousand For that amount I sold myself to Jack It was a proactive surrender The price He forbid me from continuing my studies and pursuing a postgraduate degree A stand-in must look like a stand-in He spoke indifferently with just a few words deciding the course of my life Didn’t you say you liked me At least for these three years stay by my side don’t go anywhere Initially it was because Lucy left him to study abroad Jack wouldn’t allow the same situation to happen again From that day on my dream of pursuing further education and research became truly out of reach My grandmother couldn’t survive the complications after surgery holding on for half a year before passing away I sat in the graveyard all night my mind in a daze In the middle of the night rain started to patter down A umbrella appeared over my head It was Jack He looked down at me with a gentle rare tone How long are you going to stay here I’ll accompany you We were together for three years I took care of him meticulously There were brief moments of tenderness between us but I knew that Jack actually looked down on me It was also during a gambling session with his buddies when I went to pick him up but was stopped and teased by a few people They looked me over saying with a laugh Indeed she does resemble Lucy a bit Heard she’s a high-achieving student from a top engineering school even worked on a patented project True or false hey how did you work on a project such a high-achieving student why not demonstrate for us here Watching them I pinched my palms tightly Research is a serious matter not for mockery or entertainment The man leading the teasing sneered What’s with the act You talk about research but isn’t it just to get a good price for yourself The bottle of wine was pushed towards me Not willing huh Then drink up Finish this bottle and Jack will go with you Indeed I received three hundred thousand from him This was what I deserved Before Lucy left the country she was already a top-tier star Now that she had returned with extra luster she had numerous film contracts waiting for her She called and said that she had just returned to the country and needed a useful assistant She thought you Hannah looked good seemed like you knew how to serve people Jack fell silent for a moment She chuckled What Can’t bear to part with her No Jack replied indifferently If you need her then I’ll let her go I followed Lucy onto the film set During breaks the second female lead Karina came over to chat Lucy your assistant looks quite similar to you It’s just that her eyes aren’t quite the same She has a teardrop mole adding more charm than you Karina was originally cast as the female lead in the movie but Lucy returned and directly snatched her role Karina felt resentful By saying this she intentionally tried to provoke Lucy As expected Lucy’s face changed and her eyes looked at me with almost undisguised hatred After finishing work in the afternoon she said she had lost her ring It should have fallen into the lake when they were shooting by the lakeside Her gaze moved around and finally landed on me Hannah go into the lake and find it for me The artificial lake had a low water level barely reaching up to my waist I immersed myself in it bending down to feel the silt at the bottom of the lake The evening sky was tinted with the remaining red hues of the sunset gradually darkening with the arrival of night It was clear that Lucy was deliberately making things difficult as everyone stood silently on the shore watching No one would stand up for an unknown assistant My fingers were wrinkled and turned white from the icy lake water as I touched the mud at the bottom It reminded me of my university days immersed in the laboratory working on my graduation project Keeping my hands clean and dry picking up test tubes culture dishes and slides observing results recording data My senior sisters and mentors all said I was a talented student and would go far in this field But an ordinary person’s life cannot withstand a single bump Just a slight setback could destroy everything Even though it had only been three years it felt like a lifetime ago Finally when the sky was completely dark the stylist spoke up Lucy I found your ring it was on the table in the dressing room I may have accidentally left it there Lucy took the ring and casually tossed it into her Hermes bag saying Come up Hannah tidy yourself up don’t make yourself look like I’ve been bullying you After work Jack would come to pick her up I sat dripping wet under a few pear trees outside the set I didn’t know how long passed before the black Rolls-Royce turned back Jack got out of the car and walked up to me saying Go home and change I didn’t look up He softened his tone slightly Don’t blame Lucy she’s just upset a little venting and it’ll be fine Seeing that I still didn’t respond Jack lost his patience That’s enough Hannah who are you sulking at I sniffed holding back tears and looked up at him Jack it’s been three years and now Lucy is back Please let me go His face changed slightly Where do you want to go I picked up the canvas bag next to me and took out a document saying I’ve applied to a top foreign university for a master’s degree in biological sciences and they have already sent me an acceptance letter Before I could finish speaking Jack snatched the pages tore them to pieces He grabbed my wet wrist pushed me into the car His hot palm touching my icy arm warming gradually Under the dim glow of the car’s headlights Jack looked at me with a chilling gaze You better not even think about it nowhere is allowed Hannah you are my girlfriend After that day I never went back to the set Jack found a new assistant for Lucy then arranged for me to work in his company as his personal assistant You’ll be with me from now on he said playing with a pen in his hand then looking up at me softening his tone slightly It was Karina who deliberately provoked your relationship with Lucy that day I’ve talked to someone and she won’t be acting in any more films Seeing my lack of reaction or response Jack’s face darkened With a warning tone he said Hannah don’t try my patience Have I been unreasonable Karina was just upset about losing the role and deliberately provoked Lucy with a few words Who the real troublemaker was both Jack and I knew It’s just that because I angered him that day he didn’t care that I was soaking wet and intentionally tormented me for a long time in the car These days I have been running a low fever After taking the medicine and feeling drowsy I had no strength or energy to argue with him I just lowered my head slightly and said I understand In the evening after Lucy finished work I drove Jack to have dinner with her As soon as she saw me she spoke in a frosty voice Jack I don’t want to argue with you Don’t bring anything that will ruin my appetite Jack glanced at me and said Wait in the car I nodded turned and walked away On my phone there was an email from the school where I had applied Hannah the acceptance letter has been sent to you When can you come to report to the school I have applied for the highest amount of scholarship for you and am looking forward to teaching such a talented and hardworking student I clasped my hands in the air As if by doing so I could grasp the pieces of the torn acceptance letter that Jack had discarded That night Jack didn’t come home He sent me a message I’m taking Lucy home you don’t have to wait for me Stay there overnight He replied without hesitation Hannah that is not something you have the right to ask I drove to the cemetery in the outskirts My grandmother had been buried there for over two years The photo embedded in the tombstone was taken during her final days She was seriously ill at the time The money saved over the years through cutting corners and the shame of borrowing from teachers and classmates It still fell short by over three hundred thousand To Jack that was just the cost of a night of drinking with friends A bag he bought for a companion But to me it was an insurmountable gap After the operation as she held my hand my grandmother had repeatedly advised me We mustn’t let the value of that money insignificant to Jack take control So for three years I had followed Jack’s every request no matter how unreasonable But did I want to spend the rest of my life my dreams and aspirations consumed here The cemetery was desolate with only the sound of the wind and chirping insects My grandmother’s image on the gravestone silently watched me She was gone forever never to answer me again That afternoon a familiar person unexpectedly found me It was Karina Gone was the pride she exuded from the film set and the confrontations with Lucy replaced by a disheveled appearance She sat in the corner of a café and asked me Lucy treated you like that you must be angry right I know you finally managed to climb onto Jack’s high branch and now she comes back and ruins everything I let out a deep sigh shaking my head and rejected her offer But I had underestimated Karina’s madness Her once proud acting career had been easily destroyed by Jack and she had lost all sense of reason That night photos of Lucy and Jack together surfaced online So-called insiders revealed Jack has a girlfriend they’ve been together for years I’ve seen them together having dinner that person is not Lucy at all To prove her claims she even posted a photo Due to being taken surreptitiously the image was somewhat blurry but you could still see a woman with short hair a slim figure and a beauty spot near her eye She was looking up her gaze bright and directed at the man across from her As I looked at the photo I felt stunned It was from two years ago not long after my grandmother passed away I had been feeling down Jack had taken me to a newly opened niche restaurant They served dishes from my hometown seasoned in a way that mirrored my grandmother’s decades-old habits After tasting it I knew he had brought me there on purpose so I raised my head and sincerely thanked him Thank you Mr Jack He chuckled and said Hannah do partners usually address their boyfriends that way He suggested I call him Honey I couldn’t get used to that level of intimacy so that’s all I could call him Later I found out that was how Lucy had always addressed him from childhood Hannah I snapped back to reality seeing Jack storm in with a dark expression and stride purposefully towards me Raising his hand he gave me a slap and grabbed my collar pushing me to the edge of the table A photo was forcefully slammed in front of me It depicted Karina and me sitting in a dimly lit corner of a café His voice was chilling What more do you want If your face didn’t bear a resemblance to Lucy and you didn’t have the audacity to offer your body to me for money when your grandmother was lying in the hospital you would have no right now Yet here you are teaming up with others to frame Lucy How could you be such a malicious woman My cheek burned from the blow my neck strangled by the tight collar a sense of suffocation surging through me I managed to open my mouth with some difficulty It wasn’t me I rejected her Jack wouldn’t believe me He gripped my jaw scrutinizing my face up and down as though wanting to tear a piece of flesh with his gaze After a while he sneered Low-class goods truly despicable He let go watching me weakly collapse to the ground then stormed out The tide of public opinion quickly changed Jack’s friends stepped forward to clarify that I was not his girlfriend Jack had helped her family with medical expenses out of pity only for her to cling to him and constantly try to climb the social ladder The meal in the photo was him trying to set things straight with her Jack had some photos released One showed me being harassed by customers at a bar The angles made it appear as if I was welcoming the unwanted advances There was also a photo of Karina having dinner with an investor The final one was of the two of us in the café Conclusions were drawn So Karina upset about losing a role held a grudge and conspired with this nightclub woman to spread false rumors right Poor Lucy My phone number was leaked flooded with thousands of abusive text messages People dug out my documents to demand the school revoke my graduate and degree certificates due to moral degradation Meanwhile Lucy emerged unscathed from the public opinion storm On the second night she confidently posted a photo of her engagement ring on her Weibo account Congratulations poured in from countless people in the comments section Meanwhile the online bullying against me became more intense For several days I didn’t dare to check my phone Jack still hadn’t returned My stomach condition flared up again and I decided to go out to the hospital to get some medication But I was abducted and thrown into a white van In an abandoned factory by the seaside I saw Lucy also bound and kidnapped Her expensive gown was stained with dust and torn Her meticulously groomed silky hair now looked disheveled like dry grass She looked at me with resentment in her eyes and cursed It’s you again I pursed my lips and replied I should be the one saying that What right do you have to speak to me like this You pauper Lucy screamed Jack doesn’t love you at all If it weren’t for you looking like me you wouldn’t even qualify to be his stand-in by his side She lost control The once haughty female star abducted in the most brutal manner locked in a dusty factory Unable to even get a sip of clean water She screamed and cursed trying to negotiate but all she got in return were punches and kicks from the kidnappers After enduring for two days Karina showed up I sighed I knew it was you She looked at me with a smile You see you think for Jack but he wouldn’t consider your situation Now both you and Lucy are here If I can only save one person I wonder who he would choose In fact the answer to this question didn’t need verification So when the sound of sirens got closer Karina and her people hurriedly pushed me to the edge of the cliff as I calmly glanced at Jack He didn’t even look at me but gazed at Lucy saying Lucy don’t be afraid The always prideful Lucy teared up Sobbing she called out Jack’s name Save me Jack I gazed at the churning white waves below the cliff silent Karina asked me Aren’t you going to struggle No I whispered feeling tired There were probably discussions about conditions and such My stomach was getting more painful and I was covered in layers of cold sweat on my forehead and back Finally I heard Jack’s voice He called out Hannah I’ll save you too look at me Lift your head and look at me I didn’t lift my head only hearing Karina sneer It’s not that simple Jack I’ve worked hard for so many years finally made it to this point all to be ruined by you You will pay the price Suddenly there was a force from behind I felt weightless then the sensation of falling the white waves in front of me getting closer Lucy’s scream faded away I realized belatedly that she had pushed both Lucy and me off the cliff Before being engulfed by the sea I heard Jack calling my name for the last time It was a voice of unprecedented fear and despair Hannah On the third day after Hannah fell into the sea the secretary called to say the search and rescue team still hadn’t found her The best rescue time had passed and the chances of survival were slim Lucy had come from the hospital and was waiting outside for you Would you like to see her Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window Jack looked out at the darkening sky for a while before saying No let her go back and rest As he finished speaking Lucy pushed the door open and walked in staring coldly at him What’s the meaning of this Are you trying to blame Hannah’s death on me She had bruises on her cheekbones and a long cut on her arm still bandaged But compared to the now missing Hannah these injuries were insignificant Jack avoided her gaze and spoke calmly No you should go back and rest Lucy didn’t leave standing in place her eyes reddened staring at him Do you regret it now Regret what Regret getting engaged to me regret grabbing the wrong person that day why wasn’t it her Jack pursed his lips remaining silent Lucy immediately understood Jack do you realize she’s just a willing substitute for money She’s carrying her Hermes bag wearing a fancy diamond ring all her belongings adding up to millions By some strange coincidence Jack thought about the first time he met Hannah In the dimly lit bar amidst the tumultuous lights and music she wore a whitened shirt with short hair Guests intentionally teased her stuffing tips into her neckline She calmly took them out carefully tucked them away and even thanked them In her eyes it seemed like flames were burning Including later on For thirty thousand she willingly came to him offering herself When he heard the gossip about Lucy he felt angry and wanted to torment her in their affair There were many moments when she stooped the flames in her eyes perhaps momentarily dimmed but never extinguished Jack admitted at first he had looked down on Hannah Their lives were distant like two separate worlds On the first chaotic night he almost vented on her emotionlessly Hannah took it quietly enduring it all only in the dim swaying light did she hang her head her eyelashes trembling violently as if bearing immense pain The next morning she asked him if she could borrow some money Just consider it a loan Jack felt more disdainful as he had never seen such urgency in revealing her intentions among his previous companions Still he asked How much Thirty thousand After saying this she paused and somewhat hesitantly added If you could spare a few more thousands as a backup His pen on the check paper paused Suddenly he felt absurd The breakup fee he casually gave to his ex was more than ten times the price Hannah asked for At that moment he should have realized that she was different from those people Being close to him wasn’t about vanity but desperation Later on he discovered many scars and wounds on Hannah They were deep and shallow scars She didn’t care much saying she got them when walking mountain paths to school sometimes slipping when it rained leaving scars Later Jack often thought about the sudden short pain he felt which should have been the beginning of falling for her He forcefully ignored it He had liked Lucy for so many years she was like a flower always meticulously cared for untouched by any dust and her pride was expected Hannah on the other hand was like clear lake water She always quietly followed by his side receiving his and his friends’ deliberate harassment with grace The more they looked down on her the more her bright eyes reflected their despicable and shameful acts Sometimes Jack felt restless because he thought he never truly obtained her She was only by his side for money a favor brought by that ridiculous thirty thousand forcing her to stay beside him He knew she would sneakily read books in places he couldn’t see seemingly always ready to leave him That eager and fervent gaze when she read he never got a second of it He just wanted Hannah to be able to contain him in her eyes even if it was disgust or hatred And so one mistake led to another On the tenth day after Hannah fell off the cliff everyone said she couldn’t have survived Friends advised him Let it go it’s already like this don’t have unpleasantness with Lucy over a dead person Besides didn’t you say she’s just a stand-in Jack looked up His eyes were bloodshot Lucy was shedding tears beside him She questioned him Karina’s arrest news has been released Are you now canceling the engagement to stage a drama with me Jack are you not considering my career at all At this time she still called him Jack With a tender and sad tone a pitiful look in her eyes Jack suddenly realized that Hannah never used such an endearing term for him In the beginning she called him Jack later at his command only willing to take the extra step addressing him by his full name Jack began to dream frequently about Hannah In his dreams he didn’t humiliate or look down on her didn’t keep her by using a debt of gratitude so her attitude towards him gradually softened even willing to open her heart and call him Jack He went to pick her up from work at the research institute hiding a large bouquet of roses in the car She received the flowers with some surprise finally genuinely smiling at him But upon waking up there was nothing Her books she read the papers she wrote the research results she silently studied were all on the bedside table That was her world and he had never stepped into it Three years passed like this One day on the news at a foreign scientific research results conference he glanced causally and saw a vaguely familiar figure in the corner Jack stood up in shock almost thinking he was still dreaming He asked someone to investigate and the reply came back quickly that person wasn’t called Hannah she was a Ph.D student in a foreign university studying marine biology It was as if he had fallen from a warm and illusory dream Jack silently stared out the window for a long time before saying slowly She’s still alive Hannah’s body was still not found That meant there was a slim chance she might still be alive no matter how tiny Jack started to search for her all over the world starting from that cliff Where the sea flows who has been there nearby hospitals of all sizes Hope was ignited time and time again only to witness it shattered before his eyes He was tormented by this repetitive pull Two full years passed with no results But he still held onto a glimmer of hope still waiting Waiting for the day when she would be willing to appear before him Perhaps out of hatred and revenge that was fine too The plane glided onto the landing strip After a brief moment of tinnitus I took off my eye mask and retrieved my suitcase from the luggage rack The hotel I checked into was arranged by the organizers with the hall located downstairs When I arrived there were already quite a few people at the venue Amy had collaborated with me on a project before so we were somewhat familiar She asked me Did you know Today they’ve invited several big bosses to the event supposedly with investment projects of a commercial nature Before she could finish her sentence enthusiastic greetings could be heard from nearby Jack is here too Jack nodded slightly and said Yes just came to take a look Amy noticed and changed the topic You see that person is Jack He used to be in the entertainment and IT industries but for some reason in the past two years he has started investing in some biotech and pharmaceutical projects I smiled Is that so She nodded and continued gossiping Yes you know his fiancée right Lucy she used to be a popular A-list actress but for some reason she went to get plastic surgery a few years ago As Amy was speaking Jack and the people around him had already walked up to us Jack this is our specially invited guest from abroad a Ph.D in Cell Biology from Columbia University Professor Hannah Under a bright crystal light Jack’s indifferent gaze swept over and suddenly locked onto my face Those around us keenly sensed that something was amiss But he seemed oblivious and looked at me with red-rimmed eyes I know you’re not dead I have been looking for you all this time I took a step back evading the hand he wanted to extend towards me and said I’m sorry who are you The atmosphere momentarily stagnated In the end the staff came over to smooth things out and politely escorted him away Jack sat in the VIP section his gaze piercing through the crowd refusing to look away from me even for a moment Amy curiously asked Do you know Jack I don’t I smiled politely perhaps he mistook me for someone else The event proceeded smoothly to the end Lastly the staff from the Institute of Biology announced the list of invited Ph.D.s with my name right there Hannah I took the stage and shared a few thoughts and for a moment our eyes met in mid-air Over the next few years I would be staying there hoping to engage in academic discussions with my colleagues I stepped down from the stage and returned to Amy’s side She suddenly slapped her thigh and said I remembered You and Jack’s ex-fiancée Lucy you looked quite similar before her plastic surgery He probably mistook you for Lucy right I finally smiled sincerely I think so After the event dispersed I unsurprisingly saw Jack’s Rolls-Royce parked downstairs at the hotel He leaned against the front of the car gazing at me almost longingly Hannah I politely nodded Jack He asked me Do you hate me so much Don’t think like that Jack I sighed and said ‘I don’t have anything to discuss I should go’ Don’t leave He reached out and grabbed my hem his voice trembling almost as if pleading that day at the cliff I didn’t mean not to save you it’s just on instinct I grabbed Lucy Later I sent people down to look for you and they all said the cliff was steep your hands were tied and falling down would almost certainly mean no luck But that day I saw you on the news I glanced at my wristwatch Time was running out and I really didn’t want to stand by the roadside listening to his inner struggles on my second day back So I politely smiled interrupted him and said I’m sorry I have something to attend to so I’ll leave first Where are you going Just at that moment a bright orange Porsche pulled up nearby The driver got out opened the door The Boss has already booked a restaurant let me take you there Jack standing nearby turned pale in an instant He watched me get into the car and just as the door was about to close he suddenly reached out and asked Who is your Boss This doesn’t seem to concern you does it now I smirked my gaze falling on the Rolls-Royce behind him couldn’t resist a final barb after all these years Jack not changing your car doesn’t quite fit your status does it The car drove far away but I could still see him standing in silence gazing at me through the rearview mirror At the central city’s rooftop garden restaurant Celine was waiting for me Leaning back against the wheelchair’s backrest she lazily looked at me Did you see Jack I briefly recounted the situation and self-reflected at the end That last sentence was a bit cutting Cutting It wasn’t cutting enough in my opinion She flipped through the menu casually ordered two dishes then handed me the menu saying next time you see him remember to repeat those words verbatim Jack you are just a third-rate scumbag don’t embarrass yourself I propped myself against the table You really despise him Of course I despise him While you were pursuing your Master’s and Ph.D abroad I was in the country fighting him snatching several projects from him Every time you performed a reconstructive surgery I arranged for Lucy to trend negatively She squinted and smiled I don’t forget a grudge I’m very vindictive Warm yellow light illuminated her face her eyes sparkling with a sharp glint The first time I met Celine she was like this Legs disabled sitting in a wheelchair showing no signs of despair She said with a smile I was the one who fished you out You’re truly clever cutting the rope before being pushed down just leaving a tiny bit no one noticed your little action Right now Jack has asked the search team to recover your body in that area If it weren’t for my yacht being nearby how long would you have to swim before reaching the shore I was drenched all over holding the towel around me I whispered I’d swim however long it took As long as it would help me escape Jack completely She swirled her highball glass slowly finished a whole glass of red wine then asked me Can I help you is that okay I emailed my advisor and said the acceptance letter got lost He said it didn’t matter as long as you showed up for registration Celine helped me change my name arranged for a new ID then sent me to the hospital There were tiny scars on my wrist from cutting the rope and the arm that broke from the fall off the cliff my cheek scraped against the rocks almost to the bone After undergoing multiple surgeries I was finally fully repaired Each healing phase was long and painful When I first returned to the campus I couldn’t adapt to that kind of life The three years spent by Jack’s side he and his friends trampled on my dignity and ideals mocking me at will They didn’t even consider me an equal person I kept having nightmares dreaming of Jack seeing a tabloid about Lucy and then slamming something on my face without any mercy unleashing his anger Dreaming of his friends cheerfully filling me up with alcohol me drinking until I vomited my stomach contents mingled with streaks of blood He would just watch me dully and say ‘You’re useless.’ That was not the life I had envisioned It would never be I poured all my energy into academic research spending weekends and holidays in the lab and the library So much so that my advisor would often remark to the senior and junior students during group meetings saying he had never seen a more diligent student than me But in such busy and exhausting times my once floating heart eventually found solid ground and landed firmly Two years ago I knew Jack was looking for me Many times the leads he followed were cut off by Celine She told me Study hard pursue your goals and career I will take care of the rest I once asked her why Celine fell silent for a long time then asked me Do you know how my legs were broken She’s ten years my senior When she was young she too had her own dreams Her parents handed over the family business to her brother for inheritance yet when the company faced a crisis they forced her into a marriage alliance Finally she casually said Since it was a group of good-for-nothings who needed me to sacrifice myself to maintain the company might as well let me manage the family business Her legs were broken when her infuriated brother pushed her off the balcony That evening we sat face to face on the balcony She covered the back of my hand sighed softly If only I had met you earlier Then I wouldn’t have let you waste three precious years of your life on him for a paltry sum of three hundred thousand Returning this time I carried a patent project with me The institute offered me a salary of nine hundred thousand which I accepted That was a figure the young desperate Hannah would have never dared to dream of Five years later I calmly accepted the offer signed the contract then bought red wine and returned to celebrate with Celine She drank wine I drank milk The recurring stomach illness made me quit alcohol entirely I held the cup of milk thanking her She said Nothing to thank me for I see a younger version of myself in you Having had dinner I said goodbye to Celine Half-jokingly she pointed to the Porsche and asked me Wouldn’t it be convenient for you to have a car for commuting Are you really sure you don’t want it I chuckled and replied The research institute has arranged a single apartment for me just across the street from the institute Why do I need a car She shrugged Okay call me if you need anything Just a few days after I joined the research institute Jack showed up again He found me in the cafeteria sat down across from me and gazed at the corner of my right eye for a long time After a moment he softly asked Where’s the teardrop mole I casually responded that when I fell off the cliff my face got injured and after a reconstructive surgery it didn’t look the same as before His hand that was resting on the table suddenly started to shake He asked Does it hurt This was an absurd question to ask I put down my chopsticks lifted my head and calmly stared at him Jack no matter what this question should not be asked by you The pain I endured during the three years we were together maybe you have already forgotten but I remember it clearly Abusers always easily forget ignore the harm they have caused to others I looked directly into Jack’s eyes and kindly started counting with my fingers for him The time when I had a fever of 39 degrees coincidentally Lucy was overseas and couldn’t be reached on the phone you got angry and took it out on me saying that you could only feel comfortable if I was in your arms when I had a fever When we went out your friend made me drink until I spat out blood You made me take a taxi to the hospital by myself because there was no one to sign the consent form so I had to endure the gastroscopy without anesthesia Lucy was framed by Karina you accused me of plotting it called me names and slapped me twice There were many more instances but I had gotten used to it So when I underwent the reconstructive surgery on my wound it didn’t hurt much Each time I spoke his face became a shade paler In the end the always superior and cold Jack in my presence shed tears I felt a bit embarrassed and looked around Fortunately the cafeteria was not crowded and we were seated in a corner where not many people could see us I’m sorry Hannah he said with tears in his eyes I didn’t realize my true feelings at that time He hesitantly continued Karina and the others who kidnapped you have been sentenced My engagement with Lucy will be annulled I know she made things difficult for you at the film set I chuckled sarcastically Are Karina and Lucy really the culprits You know very well Jack that the distance between countries with your financial means a trip abroad or even moving there to be with her for a few years is easily achievable If you truly love Lucy there are a thousand ways for you to be with her instead of finding companions surrogates as part of your so-called substitute You don’t love her that much and you can’t stand being alone so you always need someone by your side But you also think highly of yourself looking down on those who accompany you so you try every possible way to humiliate them to fulfill your psychological satisfaction He looked at me blankly speechless Finally with tears in his eyes he said But Hannah I truly love you now I know I’ve done a lot of things to hurt you Give me a chance and I will love you and make it up to you with all my heart I sighed feeling that he was beyond redemption You have everything and yet you waste it on futile love-hate relationships Don’t you understand I never liked you I never had feelings for you I willingly stayed by your side initially because you truly helped me financially But all that after the incident of being thrown off the cliff I believed I had paid off the debt I stood up with my tray Jack suddenly grabbed my hand He fumbled with his words What else do you need Just give me a chance scientific research funding project investments I can even set up a separate lab for you so you can be independent and free from constraints how about it Don’t be pathetic Jack I lost my patience completely and shook off his hand The soup spilled from the tray splashing on his expensive suit I pursed my lips and coldly looked at him How much for the dry cleaning Let your assistant bring the receipt to the research institute and I’ll compensate He looked disheveled like a wretched dog the light in his eyes completely dimmed No room for negotiation A few days after Jack left Lucy found me She glared at me with almost disgust saying I thought you were long gone Over the years he has tried several times to call off the engagement with me but I refused So he punished me getting drunk and calling out your name saying that you were the one he truly loved Hannah who do you think you are to make me your substitute I looked at her with a tired face unable to hide the weariness in her eyes a restlessness like a trapped animal Almost inadvertently I thought of her when she had just returned High and mighty the center of attention Asking me to pour her wine and serve her soup In the back of my mind I had to dive into the icy artificial lake to find the non-existent ring for her Round and round it all ended up in such torment Seeing that I continued to stare at her calmly Lucy’s emotions suddenly burst She stood up abruptly glared at me intensely What are you back for Since you left don’t come back Do you know that as soon as you came back Jack said he wanted to divorce me He said he wanted to cleanly pursue you and ask you for a chance I went out to study to do research and then bring back my achievements to continue learning to make contributions to the country and the people and I think there’s nothing wrong with that Stirring my coffee in front of me I said calmly Lucy it is you who has narrow-minded thoughts tying yourself up in useless love-hate what right do you have to question me She glared at me resentfully but couldn’t utter a word Lucy and Jack are of the same kind From birth they had everything and they lack nothing In their views if you don’t love me and I don’t love you it’s a great misfortune But what I have always wanted is the path to achieve my ideals I ignored Lucy paid for my coffee and left Unexpectedly that night I saw myself on the trending searches Like Karina back then she was skilled at using public opinion as a weapon In a long Weibo post she and Jack were portrayed as an engaged couple in love for years and I was painted as the villain who snatched love away upon my return Unable to find me those people went to the official account of the research institute to leave comments demanding my dismissal How can a person with a high education halo but poor character handle important scientific research work This time the public opinion came on strongly A few extreme fans even went outside the research institute and held up banners I directly reported to the police Celine was furious I gave her face what qualifications does a plastic surgery freak have to act so high and mighty I stopped her This time let me handle it myself Some things even if I didn’t mention them back then were not without evidence I registered an account and posted a video Back at the film set when Lucy and Karina had a conflict feeling upset they forced me to go underwater to find the nonexistent ring for her In fact there was a lowly assistant on the scene always oppressed who secretly recorded the scene and sent the video to me She said If she bullies you again expose it That’s how these people are elevated by fans they don’t see us as people Five years ago I didn’t expose it Because I knew very well that the root of the problem was not with Lucy but with Jack But this time she provoked me voluntarily After the video was released public opinion was in an uproar The video was clear and complete Soon Jack also stepped forward admitting that he had maintained a romantic relationship with me during his time with Lucy In other words Lucy was the third person who took over and now she tried to turn the tables Her reputation plummeted and her film contracts and commercial endorsements were all canceled As for Jack’s company the stock price plummeted Ignoring it all he called me in the middle of the night Hannah how do you want to get back at me Or repay me for what I did to you back then I chuckled lightly No need I find any further contact with you now to be dirty He seemed not to care about my sarcasm The next day at the research institute the leader told me that the funding for the biological project I led had doubled and it came from Jack’s private sponsorship Before I could refuse he winked at me Since it’s funding how to utilize it is entirely up to you Besides this is Jack’s support for our research project it’s not about personal emotions I smiled and accepted his proposal Jack started coming over in his car every day waiting at the entrance of the research institute but I ignored him indifferent to his efforts That afternoon he even brought some of his former friends Several well-dressed men stood at the entrance bowed to me and apologized With my experiment data having gone awry these days my mood was already bad The passing colleagues and onlookers’ curious gazes embarrassed me even more Finally I couldn’t hold back my anger and said Jack are you out of your mind He looked at me wistfully Hannah I just want to apologize for those past actions towards you There’s no need I looked at him expressionlessly I have my own life and work now As long as you don’t disrupt me anymore that’s all I ask Also take care of Lucy you two solve your relationship problems yourselves Jack didn’t really like me It was just that I miraculously survived after falling off the cliff in his presence That turned into an obsession for him as if obtaining it would prove something Just like Lucy back then I swept my gaze over him and his friends one by one and suddenly said Do you remember Back then I went to the bar to pick you up to take you home but your friends stopped me and insisted that I perform my research project I heard from my teacher that you donated funds to the project I am currently researching So welcome to bring your friends to the lab for a visit to see how I record data and advance the project After eight years I finally openly retaliated against their mockery that day Jack looked at me in pain his eyelashes trembling almost unable to speak As dusk approached the light from the sky gradually dimmed The autumn wind blew fallen leaves swirling and landing between us Jack and I stood face to face no longer in the humble and pleading posture of the past He took a deep breath and asked me with some difficulty If from the beginning when we first met I treated you with equal respect lent you money if you needed it and did not stop you from continuing your studies would you have possibly liked me Without hesitation I said I would be very grateful to you and would repay the money as soon as possible and in the future I would provide assistance to you in any way I can As for whether I like you or not that has never been an option in my life I hadn’t seen Jack for a long time The next news I heard about him was surprisingly in the news Lucy’s days became difficult her family pressured Jack to marry her Jack refused no matter what feeling annoyed he drove out to clear his mind The brakes failed on a mountain road and he fell off a cliff When he was rescued he was covered in blood in a deep coma The police investigated and eventually traced it back to Lucy She admitted it Yes it’s me He started it first why should I be left because of a poor substitute Once a popular female celebrity now fallen from grace completely out of control I wasn’t feeling well and he won’t get away smoothly either Some of Jack’s friends came to me wanting me to go to the hospital to see him I firmly refused I don’t think there’s a need for that right He angrily stared at me Do you know what Jack did for you I know I said with a smile did he bring me to your party and let you all drink and tease me or did he release taken-out-of-context photos of me to tarnish my reputation His face changed color speechless The experimental project went through several setbacks but eventually yielded results When the presentation event was held Jack was still lying in the hospital unconscious Afterwards I went to the cemetery again My grandmother was still on the tombstone smiling kindly at me I breathed a sigh of relief watching the mist spread in the cold air Actually when my grandmother was on her deathbed she held Jack’s hand and asked him to be kinder to me She said I know Hannah borrowed 300000 because of my illness it’s my fault Don’t blame her she’s really been through a lot over the years Her thin hand with veins showing from the effort She struggled to speak more and more Treat her well Jack remained silent for a while saying okay My grandmother finally left with peace of mind I lay on her body almost unable to make a sound just crying incessantly By chance I glanced up and saw Jack frowning wiping his hands with disinfectant wipes He had always looked down on me and the struggling poor people in this world But now it’s his turn My research results have gradually been put into use and I will soon be involved in the next project Maybe in many years I will be a famous biologist in history By then you will surely be happy for me right Leaning against my grandmother’s tombstone I said many words Until the sky completely darkened I got up and left Celine was waiting at the door She had the driver bring a black car to pick me up Once in the car my frozen body gradually regained feeling That night the sky was cloudless the moonlight shining brightly Tree shadows swirled past the car window along with one streetlight after another Finally I was back on the path of pursuing my dream after many years This time I will not stop again

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