On my sweet wife Alex’s 30th birthday, just before candle lighting, my husband Patrick and my best friend Chloe disappeared. After searching the hotel, captions suddenly appeared before my eyes: “Chloe is sleeping with the male lead to force the wife to find them. Smart.” “Go to the parking lot now! Wait—the car’s air conditioner is on. They might get carbon monoxide poisoning.” “Alex, move! Go save them!” I stood frozen, still processing what I was seeing, when my other friend Vanessa took my hand. “Let’s check the parking lot,” she suggested. The captions sighed in relief. “Good, someone is helping.” “Poisoning isn’t severe unless exposure is long.” I paused at that line—then turned back to the private room. “Let’s not go look for them,” I said. Vanessa’s face changed. “But they’re the most important people in your life. They should be here.” The captions panicked: “Doesn’t Alex adore the male lead? Why won’t she go?” “Without help, prolonged poisoning could kill them…” 1 I watched Vanessa’s expression change repeatedly, then chuckled. “You used to hate Chloe and my husband so much. What’s wrong? Today you’re more concerned about them than I am.” I didn’t know when Vanessa and Chloe had become partners in crime. One was my childhood friend, the other my college classmate, and they had always pretended to dislike each other. However, they were in complete agreement about me marrying right after college and becoming a trophy wife, never working a day in my life; they both thoroughly looked down on it. They also absolutely loathed my second-generation husband, who enjoyed his inherited wealth. Could it be… They wanted to get involved themselves, to save me from this mess? Thinking this, I looked at Vanessa with a grateful expression, silently resolving. I absolutely couldn’t let them fall into this pit of fire with me. I had to stop them, protect them. Vanessa averted her gaze, awkwardly hooked her arm through mine, and spoke softly. “How could I be concerned about them? I’m worried about you. It’s your big day today, and those two are both missing…” She didn’t continue, but her meaning was all too clear. But how could I understand? I just smiled, pulling Vanessa towards the private room. “It’s nothing. They’re adults; what could happen?” “Our friends are still in the room. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.” Vanessa froze for a moment, then forced an awkward laugh. “Well, I… I’ll go to the restroom.” “Remember how we always went to the restroom together in school?” Saying this, I linked arms with Vanessa and walked towards the restroom. As I walked, I calculated in my mind. I had to stick close to Vanessa. What if she tried to contact Chloe, found she couldn’t, and went to the underground parking lot to check the situation? And my other friends, once we returned to the room and cut the cake, the birthday party would be over. If they went to the parking lot and saw Patrick’s car with the engine running, they would definitely approach it. My friends are sacrificing themselves for me; how could I let their reputations be ruined? I absolutely couldn’t let anyone discover them prematurely. I secretly made up my mind, desperately strategizing in my head. My brain isn’t used to this much work. I don’t know if my plan will work, but I have to try. 2 Vanessa emerged from the restroom, her eyes filled with worry, and jumped when she saw me standing by the door. She extinguished her phone screen, pretending to calmly wash her hands. I patiently watched her dry her hands, pick up her phone, and slowly walk out. After just a few steps, she hesitated and spoke. “I suddenly remembered, I prepared a gift for you. I’ll go to the car to get it.” The captions reacted instantly, praising Vanessa frantically. “This is the female lead’s good friend, a master of improvisation! Thankfully, she’s smart and noticed something was wrong.” “What’s wrong with Alex?! Didn’t she reach the point where she was supposed to expose the male and female leads’ affair? Does she know something and is deliberately stalling?” “This woman is truly vicious. Does she want them to die from lack of oxygen?” “Carbon monoxide poisoning for more than an hour or two can cause brain damage, and longer exposure can really be fatal!” “What do I do, what do I do?! I wish I could beat Alex senseless right now.” I grabbed Vanessa’s arm and forcibly dragged her towards the private room. “Are you trying to run away too? Then there really will be no one for my thirtieth birthday candle lighting. A gift is a small matter; staying with me is a big one!” Pushing open the private room door, my friends complained in feigned annoyance. “What’s going on? You left us here, and you both ran off.” “Patrick and Chloe still aren’t back. Oh well, never mind them.” “Quick, quick, birthday girl, everyone’s waiting for you to light the candles!” Saying this, they brought the cake in front of me. I looked at the cake with lit candles, feeling no joy. My friends were beaming, ready to sing, when I spoke softly, my voice dull. “I know everything.” Everyone froze, looking at each other. Only Vanessa’s face flashed with a hint of panic. Everyone asked me, “Know what?” I looked up, my eyes fixed on Vanessa, approaching her step by step. “I know…” “Patrick cheated on me with one of my best friends.” Seeing me approach, Vanessa blinked, her voice rising a few octaves, her tone flustered. “Don’t jump to conclusions just because Patrick and Chloe aren’t here right now. If you’re really suspicious, I’ll go with you to the parking lot to check.” The captions exploded at this point. “What the heck does this dramatic woman mean by saying that? Does she know?” “She definitely doesn’t know. This is clearly a trick to get her friend to confess, but the friend is smart, neither admitting nor denying, and leading Alex to the parking lot. Such a clever friend.” “Is anyone checking on the parking lot? They’ve been unconscious for twenty minutes now.” “It’s okay, the friend has already noticed something is wrong and will definitely go check the situation.” I froze for a moment at the captions. Is that right? She’ll notice something is wrong and go check the situation? That won’t do. I’ll protect my friend’s reputation with my life! 3 I grabbed a glass of red wine from the table and drank it in one gulp. Then, meeting her eyes, I feigned seriousness. “It’s you, isn’t it, Vanessa.” “What?” She looked utterly bewildered by my question. My friends around us gasped, exchanging glances. “I saw the messages Patrick sent. The person on the other end used a burner account, but the messages hinted at being my best friend.” “Who else could it be but you?” Vanessa took a step back, then immediately blurted out. “Chlo…” Slap! Her face snapped to the side instantly. She covered her cheek, looking back at me in disbelief. I frantically apologized in my heart, but no one could hear it. The captions instantly went wild. “This woman is crazy, she actually dared to hit her.” “Oh my god, no wonder the male lead fell for Chloe. Her usual demure wife persona, her gentle and virtuous act, it’s all fake. I can’t stand it.” “What the hell does she want to do, this madwoman.” “Upstairs, you and the friend are both being misled by her! The point isn’t what she wants to do, the point is the male and female leads poisoned and passed out in the car!” “It’s okay, it’s okay. The optimal rescue time is four to six hours. No matter how crazy she gets, she can’t be crazy for six hours, right? The party will eventually end, and once it does, everyone will definitely notice them. There’s still time, there’s still time.” Still time? Ahhh! For my friend’s reputation, I had no other choice. Slap! I slapped Vanessa across the face again. She glared at me, disbelief still in her eyes, but still didn’t retaliate. To be honest, I was still a little confused. Vanessa wasn’t someone who would silently endure being hit. From childhood, she was always the one bullying others. On the contrary, Chloe was the one who suffered bullying in silence. In college, her roommates isolated her because of her poor family background. She remained silent. As class president, I discovered the situation and proactively helped her mediate with her roommates. Later, I also helped her apply for scholarships, find internships, and introduced her to my friends. When her mother forced her to return to her village to marry, I stood up for her and offered financial help. So I was so good to her, and now she and Vanessa were teaming up to rescue me from this pit of fire, which was her way of repaying my kindness. Thinking this, I was even more determined to protect her reputation and safeguard her. Seeing me still, my friends thought I was drunk and came over to mediate. “You’re drunk, Alex. If something’s wrong, talk it out. Don’t resort to violence; it’ll look bad if it gets out of hand…” “Yeah, the situation isn’t clear yet, Alex, wait a minute.” Vanessa, seeing everyone speak up for her, lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes, and hid behind a friend. The next second, a human wall formed in front of me and spoke. “Enough, Alex. You’ve had too much to drink today. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.” I looked up at the person blocking my way, a handsome man. It took me a moment to realize it was Liam, Patrick’s good friend. Million-dollar salary, handsome, wealthy family background. No wonder Vanessa was interested. That’s why she hadn’t fought back this whole time, I realized. Actually, I had originally intended to stop there. After all, if I hit her too hard, what if I got arrested? But now. I decided to play the villain thoroughly and give my good friend a boost. My lips curved slightly, and I spoke calmly. “Get lost! Or I’ll hit you too.” Liam froze for a moment. He couldn’t believe I, who usually spoke in such a cutesy voice, could say something like that. I seized the opportunity to slip past him and slapped her again. Vanessa staggered back two steps. I looked at her. Her eyes were filled with hatred, yet she remained unresponsive. I saw my friend’s fragile appearance, and Liam’s disbelief. I secretly rejoiced. It seemed I needed to be even more aggressive. Slap! Another slap landed on her face. The captions were absolutely furious now. “This woman is sick. She keeps hitting people. Can no one stop her?” “Vanessa, stop pretending to be weak. Liam is being held back by this woman’s friends; fight back!” “I’m so mad, I wish I could jump through the screen and slap her back.” I saw her face was already swollen red and was about to raise my hand. She gritted her teeth and spoke. “Alex Miller! Don’t you go too far!” I smiled domineeringly. “I am pushing you too far, what about it?” She looked at Liam, who was being pushed out of the private room by friends, and completely dropped her act, lunging forward to pull my hair. I casually pushed her. And knocked all the leftover food on the table onto her. Clang, crash… She was instantly covered in grease, and leftover food dripped and clung to her white dress. Vanessa’s screams, the clattering of plates in the private room, and my friends’ shouts of dissuasion became a chaotic mess. It was hard not to draw attention. The waiter, seeing the scene, picked up the phone to call the police. My friends, seeing this, tried to stop him. I yelled and smashed two more plates. “Call the police then! I’m not the homewrecker! I’m not the one who should be ashamed.” I wanted the police to come. If the police came, no one would discover them in the underground parking lot. And my friend’s reputation would be saved. Within a few minutes, the police arrived. Vanessa and I, and everyone in our private room. We all got a complimentary trip to the police station. The captions were almost in tears. “What do we do?! Everyone’s been taken away! Is there no one left to discover our poisoned male and female leads?!” “It’s been over an hour already, my male and female leads…” “The male lead is such an idiot! Afraid of the cold, turns on the AC but doesn’t know to leave a window cracked? How did such a dumb person grow up?” “Don’t blame, don’t blame. Don’t be swayed by Alex. The male lead is a rich second-generation music student. It’s normal for him not to know physics, chemistry, and biology.” “I’m crying… My poor, precious female lead, she’s had such a tough first half of her life, and now she’s about to die just as she was about to have a good life?” “It’s okay, there’s still time. Even at the police station, it’ll be resolved in an hour or two at most.” At the police station, before the police could even ask questions, I burst into tears and lamentations. “Officer, it’s my birthday today, and my husband cheated on me with my best friend…” “I didn’t mean to throw a drunken tantrum, but I… I’m so upset. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.” The officer, hearing me say this and seeing my good attitude, softened his originally stern expression. “Even if you’re angry, you can’t hit people or smash things. Do you know they can get an injury report? If it’s serious, you could go to jail.” I nodded frantically. “Officer, you’re right. I’ll compensate the vendor for the damaged items; just give me the bill. As for hitting someone…” “Officer, one is my best friend, and the other is my husband. How could I not be upset? I was absolutely furious.” “I’m so sorry.” The captions instantly went furious, starting to play judge. “Oh my god, this woman is so good at twisting facts and playing innocent for sympathy.” “The police are being fooled by her. It’s okay, Vanessa is injured, she absolutely won’t accept a settlement! Let her rot in jail for ten years. I can’t stand her.” “Exactly, don’t let her off the hook. Send her to jail. Let’s see how she gets out of this one!”
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