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