Under a trending TikTok video, a woman tagged her boyfriend to watch. [Everyone move over! My hubby loves this kind of thing, let him watch first!] I clicked on her profile picture and froze. She was the girl who bullied me in high school. I would recognize that face even if it turned to ashes. I stayed up all night scrolling through all her videos, then clicked on the boyfriend she tagged. I sent a DM. [You there?] 01 Before seeing Chloe Vance again, I had imagined many times what she must be like now. I thought bad people would eventually get their karma, that she would be living a miserable, impoverished life. But she wasn't. In the videos she posted, today she was at the Cheval Blanc Randheli in the Maldives, a hotel that costs tens of thousands a night; tomorrow she was flying to Iceland to see the Northern Lights; the day after, she was speeding down the West Coast in a sports car at sunset. Her most recent photo showed her sitting in a black Rolls-Royce, wearing a Chanel suit, smiling brightly at the camera, without a hint of worry on her face. She looked like she was living an incredibly good life. But why did she deserve it? I stared hard at her smiling face on my phone screen. Slowly, that smiling face morphed into her wearing a high school uniform, slapping me while laughing, again and again, until her hand hurt, then switching with the person behind her, laughing as she aimed her phone camera at my swollen, bleeding face: "Smile, Maya! Weren't you the one who loved acting like a slut the most? Why aren't you smiling now?!" She yanked my hair hard, her smile growing wider: "Smile!" Chloe's malice towards me started when the boy she liked gave me a birthday present. He gave me a designer bag for my birthday, supposedly brought back from Europe by his mom. It cost over three thousand dollars, and I was so scared I refused to take it. He got mad and threw it at me, saying if I didn't want it, I could just throw it away. While I was standing there holding the bag, not knowing what to do, Chloe walked in. She snatched the bag, stared at it for a moment, and suddenly smiled. But that smile looked incredibly twisted, making my blood run cold. "I asked him for this bag for three months and he wouldn't give it to me. I didn't expect he actually wanted to give it to you." She looked up at me, her gaze making my hair stand on end: "Maya, you're pretty capable, aren't you." After that, Chloe started constantly targeting me. My biggest fear every day was school letting out, because I never knew when she would bring people to corner me in the bathroom for a beating and humiliation. During that time, I lived in constant fear every day, plagued by nightmares every night, but I didn't dare tell anyone. My parents divorced when I was young, both starting new families. Only my grandmother, who had a bad limp, was willing to take me in. She ran a small deli, waking up early and staying up late to sell food to pay for my schooling. I was one of the few students at that private school who got in on a full scholarship because of my excellent grades. I didn't dare tell the teachers, because Chloe threatened me with my grandmother. I also knew that the school would definitely turn a blind eye to Chloe, whose family was powerful and influential. I could only study harder, hoping to get into a good college early and leave this place. But in the end, I couldn't even realize that small hope. The night before the SATs, Chloe locked me in the bathroom again. This time, she had people strip off my clothes and take photos. I was locked in the bathroom all night and couldn't leave, so I didn't know that my photos had already appeared in various local group chats that night. I also didn't know that Chloe intentionally had someone go to my grandmother's deli to show her those photos. My grandmother was worried sick and couldn't wait for me to come home. She limped all the way to the school to find me. Then, because she was too anxious and didn't look carefully while crossing the street, she was hit and run over by a fatigued truck driver, dying on the spot. I only found out the news the next morning when the school janitor let me out. I saw stars, my head spun, and I collapsed on the ground, my mind a complete blank. When I woke up, I was already in the hospital. In one day, I lost the chance to take the SATs and change my fate, and the grandmother I depended on for survival. I remember almost nothing about the aftermath of that day. My body was probably in so much pain that it triggered a self-protection mechanism and sealed away that memory. I only remember the teacher coming to see me then. I heard her telling someone else in the hallway with great pity: "She had the potential for the Ivy League. What a shame." Chloe got away scot-free, only being called into the principal's office for a scolding. Because her dad was a well-known local entrepreneur and a major taxpayer, the principal didn't dare offend him. I used the remaining money we had to arrange my grandmother's funeral. I didn't have money to retake the year, so I could only find a job at a factory to support myself. Meanwhile, Chloe was sent to the US for college, starting her fabulous life. ... I sat on the bed in the dark bedroom, just staring blankly at the pitch-black ceiling. During the hardest years, I often spaced out like this. Actually, life got a lot better later on. After I started making money, I got my bachelor's degree through adult education, saved up some money, and opened my own online women's clothing store, acting as my own model. Luckily, I was pretty, caught a trend, and business boomed. Now, I have achieved financial freedom. I thought I had forgotten the past. I thought I could start a new life. But the moment I saw Chloe's face, I suddenly realized that I had never let it go. I hated her. I hated her to death. I sat there until dawn, my stiff fingers finally clicking on the account she tagged. It was an account with a minimalist line-drawing avatar, with not a single video posted. But I quickly found out his identity. Liam Sterling, Chloe's fiancé. The Vance family was on the verge of bankruptcy when she was in college, and finally managed to bounce back through an arranged marriage. The Sterling family was the powerful backer the Vance family clung to. It was also the guarantee that Chloe could live such a luxurious life now. Chloe didn't recognize me anymore. It was truly ironic. She had personally pushed me into hell, and I saw her smiling face in every nightmare, but she didn't remember me anymore, even tagging Liam in my comments section for him to see. I tapped the chat icon next to Liam's avatar, thought for a moment, and sent him a DM. [You there?] 02 Three days later, I opened Liam's chat box for the umpteenth time. He still hadn't replied. I wasn't surprised. From the information I had gathered these past few days, Liam was actually pretty clean when it came to his relationships with women. Chloe tagging him was probably just a random joke; she knew Liam wouldn't be interested. It's really quite strange. He's the heir to the Sterling family, and from the videos and photos I found, he's at least 6'2". Thanks to his movie star mother, he also has a face that could instantly debut in Hollywood. For such a quintessential tall, rich, and handsome guy, his favorite activity wasn't picking up girls, playing with sports cars, or showing off his wealth. It was fishing. Yeah, like an old man, setting up a fishing rod by the ocean or a pond and fishing all day. Since sending a DM online clearly wasn't working, I looked up a lot of information about him, even following him to the bottom of his office building. Liam's life was very routine—just commuting between home and work, and dedicating one day every weekend solely to fishing. After figuring out his quitting time, I drove my car behind his. Waiting for a red light, I pulled up behind his car and intentionally rear-ended him! With a "bang," the car in front stopped. Then, Liam, wearing a suit, frowned, got out, and knocked on my window. I smoothed my hair, glancing at the rearview mirror out of the corner of my eye. I had specifically hired a makeup artist who charged five figures to do my makeup, ensuring every single eyelash was exquisite while not looking like I was wearing much makeup. Sure enough, when I opened the car door, Liam's furrowed brow relaxed a bit. Chloe must know Liam likes my type, which is why she tagged him. He might not be interested in me just because of a face, but at least he wouldn't feel disgusted by me. I looked up, revealing a perfectly angled face, and apologized panickily: "I'm so sorry, I'm a new driver. I was too anxious just now and didn't react in time. Are you okay?" Liam shook his head, walked to the back of the car, and took a look: "It's not very serious. Let's move the cars first so we don't block traffic, and we can just go through insurance later." I nodded. The two of us waited by the side of the road for the insurance agent to finish the whole process. Then I naturally pulled out my phone, opened my Venmo QR code, and handed it to him: "Let's add each other. We can contact each other if anything comes up!" My attitude was too natural, giving him no chance to refuse. Liam paused for a moment, took out his phone, and scanned me. "I'm really sorry about today. How about I treat you to dinner sometime?" I looked up at him. "No need, the insurance is sorted out. Just contact me on WeChat if anything comes up." He rejected me as I expected, got in his car, and left. I watched his car merge into traffic, holding my phone, a smirk playing on my lips. Today's goal was achieved. I hadn't expected to get close to Liam so quickly; getting his contact info was already a success. I like a challenge. If he took the bait too fast, it wouldn't be fun. I found all of Chloe's social media accounts. She seemed to really like Liam, with almost nine out of ten posts being about him. They were blatantly filled with her infatuation with him. The Vance family had been showing more and more signs of decline these past few years. If it weren't for the Sterling family's capital injection holding them up, they probably would have gone bankrupt long ago. Chloe Vance. I'd really like to see if she can still live so comfortably without Liam. If God won't give her karma, I'll deliver it myself. 03 I stayed up all night studying Liam's Instagram. He really was a guy with a simple life. He barely had any posts, only showing off on Instagram when he caught a fish. I didn't initiate a conversation with him; I just waited a few days and posted a photo on my story. Ripples blown by the wind on a dark, deep pool. I held up a large carp, smiling at the camera with my lips pressed together. [Another day without getting skunked!] I waited a week. Liam didn't like or comment. But he didn't post on his story that week either. Clearly, he hadn't caught any fish. The second week, I continued posting. Still a carp, still that deep pool, but this time the fish was a size bigger, weighing at least four or five pounds. [Big catch!] He still didn't reply. The third week, I kept posting. [Can't finish catching them, literally can't finish.] Then I put on a face mask and went to sleep. Early the next morning, I opened my phone. Among the dozens of likes, I finally saw the person I was waiting for. Liam commented: [Excuse me, where is this?] I looked at my phone and smirked. He took the bait. 04 When I saw Liam again, he was noticeably more talkative. "Is there really that many fish at the spot you mentioned?" I discreetly sized him up. He was wearing a black hoodie and gray sweatpants, his black hair unstyled, falling naturally over his forehead. When he talked about something he was interested in, his eyes widened slightly, shining brightly. He looked nothing like the cold, aloof heir in the financial magazines; he felt more like a college student in his early twenties. I nodded: "You'll know when we get there. I've never been skunked any of the times I've been there." Actually, I didn't know how to fish at all. I had frantically crammed for this just to hook Liam. I found this fishing spot after asking countless people and wandering the mountains for days. When Liam first commented, I ignored him. I didn't leisurely reply until the next day after posting another story: [It's up in the mountains, pretty hard to find.] This time he replied instantly: [Could I trouble you to bring me along next time you go? Thank you.] I put down my phone and ate dinner, estimating he was getting impatient before replying: [Sure.] ... I cast my line a few yards away from Liam. He didn't initiate conversation, and I wasn't going to kiss up to him. Occasionally, when there was a bite, we would glance at each other. I could tell that when I hooked a fish, he really wanted to come over and look, but he was a bit too embarrassed, just pretending nothing was happening while his gaze swept back and forth. From Chloe's Instagram, Liam was the kind of guy who was a bit cold. He wouldn't even offer perfunctory politeness for things he didn't like. He probably grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, and with his excellent personal qualities, he rarely encountered situations where he had to please others or take the initiative. He was used to having others revolve around him. There probably hasn't been a shortage of crazy admirers throwing themselves at him over the years. If I was too proactive, I'd probably just end up like those other women in his mind, not worth paying attention to. After taking Liam there the first time, I didn't contact him again, but I figured out his schedule. I staked out the spot every day, ensuring I bumped into him at least once a week. But the process of waiting for a fish was too boring. After our third meeting, he finally started talking to me. "How did you find this fishing spot?" "I've been to most of the fishing spots and fisheries nearby. They were boring. I accidentally saw this one while hiking and thought I'd give it a try. Didn't expect it to be this good." Once we started talking about fishing, Liam became noticeably more talkative. When he got excited, he showed me a video of him catching catfish in the Amazon River. I was full of praise, and then showed him a photo of me deep-sea fishing for tuna. His eyes lit up, and then he felt a bit regretful: "I wanted to go tuna fishing before, but I've been too busy and haven't had the chance." He looked up at me, truly looking at me for the first time: "I didn't expect you to like fishing so much. Girls who love fishing are really rare." We talked more and more, moving from sports to our favorite music, movies, and books, and then he surprisingly realized we actually had quite a few shared hobbies and interests. We both liked skiing, we both liked Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, we both liked listening to Koji Tamaki. We even understood each other's preferences where we differed. By the time we snapped back to reality, we realized we had chatted the entire afternoon, and the sky was dark. After that, we often fished and chatted together. We even adopted a little stray cat together. This little orange cat was only a few months old. Every time we came fishing, it would lie quietly nearby waiting for fish to eat. Sometimes when neither of us caught anything, it would meow anxiously, urging us on. I named it "Nian Nian," meaning surplus year after year. Every time I went, I would kiss and cuddle it. Liam wasn't as interested in it. Every time Nian Nian went to rub against him, he would dodge. He was a bit of a germaphobe and hated getting cat hair on him. That night, when we said goodbye, Liam asked me for the first time: "When are you coming next?" I thought for a moment: "Work has been pretty busy lately, it's hard to say." A barely noticeable hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he still nodded politely and didn't say much more. I didn't go for the entire next week. It wasn't until the second week that I finally showed up. Seeing me again, Liam's face didn't show it, but he quickly moved his chair closer to mine. "What have you been doing these past few days? Why haven't you been fishing?" I walked over and pet Nian Nian, who was lying on the ground. He stretched his body lazily on the ground, his little belly bulging. He had gained a lot of weight, his fur was glossy and smooth, looking like he was being taken very good care of. "Have you been feeding him these past few days?" Liam lifted his chin reservedly, his tone carrying a hint of blame: "You were the one who named him, but you haven't taken care of him at all these past few days." He quickly became a bit smug: "Of course I've been taking care of him. I've been catching fish for him to eat every day." Nian Nian walked over and rubbed against his leg. Liam frowned, complaining: "Can you stay a little further away? You always get hair all over me." But his hands familiarly picked it up and placed it on his lap. Nian Nian lay comfortably on him. His black jacket was immediately covered in cat hair, but he didn't care. Instead, he expertly scratched its chin. I watched from the side, drawing a conclusion in my mind. Turns out he's a total tsundere. I smiled inwardly and sat on the side holding my fishing rod, but accidentally pricked my hand on a fishhook. I hissed and squeezed my finger, and a bright red bead of blood popped out. Liam immediately put Nian Nian down, took a Band-Aid from the box beside him, and walked over with a frown. "Why are you so careless?" I wanted to take the Band-Aid, but he naturally said: "Give me your hand." "You're quite prepared—" I looked up with a smile, but swallowed the rest of my words when I met his gaze. Too close. Without realizing it, we seemed to be too close. The bright orange sunset in the mountains gradually faded into blue, darkening. The wind was trapped in the valley, bringing up damp moisture. I could smell the faint woody scent on Liam, subtly drifting over. I didn't know if it was cologne or aftershave. His pupils were slightly lighter than most people's, carrying a kind of inorganic, cold clarity, but right now, they were entirely reflecting me. The wind blew my hair across his face. He just stared at me blankly until Nian Nian meowed impatiently from the side. We snapped back to reality at the same time, abruptly stepping back from each other. Liam quickly turned his head, squatting with his back to me, petting Nian Nian's back: "Stop calling, I'll get you some food right away." I burst out laughing. In the dim light, his ears turned noticeably red, and he sat on the side fishing without saying a word. However, Liam, who was usually very patient, kept fidgeting that night and didn't catch a single fish the entire time. From that day on, there seemed to be a tacit understanding between us. Whenever he went fishing, he would always invite me, and we would go out at least twice a week. Sometimes in the desolate mountains, sometimes on the boundless ocean, sometimes at a fishery he rented out. But, it was always just the two of us. During this time, I constantly monitored Chloe's Instagram. Her posts showing off her relationship became fewer and fewer, until eventually, she hadn't posted a single one for several days. I watched coldly, making sure to present my best state and most exquisite makeup whenever I met her boyfriend during the day. This kind of relationship, where we both knew what was going on but kept playing dumb, fermented until two months later, when I felt the time was ripe. That night, while he was holding Nian Nian, I suddenly spoke up: "Liam, do you have a girlfriend?" 05 Chloe posted on Instagram again. But this time it wasn't showing off Liam, it was: [Some people are just born cheap, they love eyeing other people's men. Don't let me find out who you are.] I leaned against the window, exhaling a puff of smoke, and curled my lips into a smile. Looks like they had a fight. Chloe's relationship with Liam seemed to have always been a one-sided chase on her part. I had looked through his old blog from his study abroad days and his current Instagram, and there wasn't a single post about Chloe. A relationship maintained by only one person, now with me added to the mix, had finally become precarious. Liam didn't answer my question today, but we both knew the silent answer. Neither of us spoke that day; we hastily packed up our gear and went home. But I knew that Liam's heart was definitely not as calm as his expression right now. However, I couldn't predict whether things would go well or badly. He might not have much feeling for Chloe, but the Sterling and Vance families have had close business ties for years, and the arranged marriage was no joke. He might have good feelings for me now, but how much could it really be? Could it compare to his career? Sure enough, that same day Liam sent me a text. [I won't be going fishing anymore. Sorry to have bothered you during this time.] He kept his word and really stopped going fishing. I went to various fishing spots every day, but he seemed to be hiding from me, never showing up again. Nian Nian was gone too. I wanted to adopt him, but I searched the entire nearby area and couldn't find him. Only his profile picture changed, to a ginger cat lying on a rug, yawning. I zoomed in to look closely. That was Nian Nian. ... Half a month later, I posted a photo on my Instagram Story of me holding up a fish with another man. The man was 6'1", with honey-toned skin, his black tank top stretched tight over bulging pecs, one arm slung around my shoulder, smiling brightly. This was a male model I specifically hired, costing $300 a day. Fishing requires skill; just throwing bait aimlessly won't catch you the right fish. The next day, when I went back to that pond, a shadow suddenly loomed beside me. I looked up. Liam, his face expressionless, sat in the chair next to me, took out his fishing rod, and cast his line without saying a word. But he didn't even bait the hook. We sat in silence like that for a long time before he finally spoke, his voice betraying no emotion. "Who was that guy yesterday?" I said lightly: "You already have a girlfriend. What does it have to do with you?" He stopped talking. For the next half hour, I kept catching fish, but Liam didn't catch a single one. He didn't seem to realize he hadn't put bait on, the air pressure around him heavy, lost in his own thoughts. I stood up. Having sat for too long, my legs were numb, and I stumbled, almost falling. Liam instinctively stood up and caught me. The moment our eyes met, he suddenly grabbed the back of my neck and kissed me. It was a completely unromantic scene. Around us were just the two of us, not-so-clever anglers, the fish swimming in the water, and an unromantic kiss. Rather than a kiss, it was more like a duel. His force carried an aggressive edge. I didn't back down, wrapping my arms around his neck and standing on my tiptoes. I don't know how long passed, but just as I was oxygen-deprived and almost blacking out, he let me go. I looked up at him, panting: "Liam, I won't be the other woman." His under-eyes flushed a dark red. It took him a long time to steady his breathing. "I know." "I don't want to make excuses, but I want to be clear with you. She was arranged by my family, and I have no feelings for her. I will make things clear to her. Give me a little time." ... That night, I opened Chloe's Instagram again. She hadn't posted anything; it was perfectly quiet. But I knew she definitely wasn't having a good time right now. Sure enough, late that night, she posted several consecutive, frantic updates, finally ending with a few words. [Just wait. I won't let this go so easily.]
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