To indulge myself one last time, I essentially "sugar-mommy'd" a poor, mute guy. He had a cold, aloof look but loved adventure. To make him happy, I pushed my body to the limit. Bungee jumping, racing, diving, skydiving... I did everything I had never done before, just to accompany him. My savings were quickly drained. While on the verge of death, I secretly went to the hospital to sign a donor form, planning to donate my heart to his sick mother after I died. But then, I saw a photo of him on the hospital director’s desk. He was wearing a luxury watch. The director smiled and said: "That's my son. Ivy League grad." "But he's too playful. Recently, he's into some 'live-action role-play' game, pretending to be poor and mute." "He even said the girl he's playing with is old and tacky, and he's planning to switch to a new target." I laughed until I cried. Then, I tore up the donation form. "I'm willing to join the clinical trial for the new cancer drug, but I have one condition." "I want the Sterling family to adopt me as a daughter." Chapter 1 The moment I saw Luke Sterling's photo, I felt like a bolt of lightning had struck the top of my head. He was wearing a Patek Philippe, leaning lazily against the railing of a yacht, surrounded by flowers. A beautiful girl snuggled in his arms, wearing a matching watch. It was clearly the same face, but completely different from the Luke I knew. I remembered Luke from this morning, rubbing his sleep-filled eyes and signing "good morning kiss" to me. My temples throbbed as if a drill were boring into them, the pain blinding me for a second. Ding. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Luke. "Snow, I handed out flyers for half the day and made thirty bucks. I bought you a bracelet." I opened the picture, and my breath hitched. I recognized this bracelet. Last night, I accidentally found a velvet gift box in his backpack. Inside was an exquisite, beautiful Van Cleef & Arpels clover bracelet. But the one on the screen was a cheap knockoff, paint chipping, gems crooked. It looked like the lowest quality street vendor trash. So, Luke bought the authentic one worth $5,000 first, then bought a thirty-dollar piece of junk. The junk was for me. Where did the $5,000 one go? To the girl on the yacht? I suddenly remembered looking at that bracelet in a shop window a month ago. Luke had immediately signed: "When I have money, I'll buy it for you." Now he "bought" it. I thought about the gifts treasured in my rental apartment closet. Fading earrings, unraveling cashmere scarves, bags stamped with "LY"... He seemed particularly keen on buying me low-quality knockoffs of big brands. In the past, I just thought he didn't know brands. Now I realize, he did it on purpose. Or perhaps, for every authentic item he bought for other girls, he bought a $9.99 Temu version for me, the "old and tacky" sugar mommy. What a fun way to prank someone. Ding, the phone buzzed again. "Why aren't you replying? Don't you like it?" I slowly typed: "I like it. Thank you." Luke quickly sent another promotional image for a ski resort: "Let's go skiing this weekend. They're having a sale." "By the way, I have a few friends who want to come too. You don't mind, right, sis?" I glanced at the so-called sale price: $199 per person, gear rental not included. That was what I earned from delivering Uber Eats all night. I stared at the screen and suddenly laughed out loud. As I laughed, my eyes grew hot. It turns out when things are extremely absurd, you really do want to laugh. The Director opposite me looked at me strangely. "Miss, are you okay?" I put away my phone. "Nothing, just saw a joke. It was very funny." "Let's continue discussing the clinical trial." Chapter 2 Due to the nature of the drug, the trial process would be excruciatingly painful. And the cure rate was very low. Therefore, no patient was willing to gamble on that tiny survival rate. With the project approval deadline approaching, the Director, who was also the drug's developer, was anxious. As soon as I offered to test the drug, her eyes lit up, but then she asked suspiciously: "Why make such a request?" I pressed down on the dense pain in my chest and forced a smile: "My parents favored my younger sister. I've never felt familial love since I was young." "Besides," I pointed to the photo frame, "I also want a handsome younger brother." The Director glanced at Luke in the photo and smiled knowingly: "Fine. If you can survive the three-year trial period, I'll make you my daughter." Goal achieved. I let out a sigh of relief. After signing the NDA, the Director looked at me meaningfully. "Try hard to survive." I nodded forcefully. "I will." I turned to look at the magnolia branches outside the window. They were weighed down heavily by the fine snow, drooping listlessly. But they still stubbornly clung to the branches. Just like me. I planned to die this winter, but now I was painfully jolted back to life. Chapter 3 I didn't reply to Luke's messages again. Even when he later sent "Just consider it a loan from me first," I didn't respond. I sat on the sofa, silently waiting for him to return. Just past nine, Luke appeared. He wore a gloomy expression on his handsome face and threw his keys heavily onto the shoe cabinet, making a harsh clatter. Before, at times like this, I would walk over, gently pull his sleeve, and sign: [Are you angry?] Then he would deliberately keep a straight face, waiting for me to coax him. But today I didn't. I sat on the sofa, flipping through the hospital's re-examination report. I had never told Luke about my illness. He thought I just had severe anemia. At this moment, I suddenly wanted to know, what if he knew I was dying? Would he regret always pranking me? I pricked up my ears and heard him slam a water glass onto the kitchen counter, then deliberately slam the fridge door shut loudly. He was waiting for me to speak, waiting for me to compromise like before. But this time, I just silently held the lab report, the paper rustling between my fingers. Luke completely missed my expectation. He only cared about his own waiting. Seeing that I didn't relent, he finally couldn't hold it in. Luke grabbed his jacket, glared at me coldly, and signed: "I'm going back to the dorm to sleep." I didn't stop him. The moment the door slammed, I got up and followed him out. He made a call at the complex gate, his cold, low voice drifting into my ears with the night wind: "Goose, come pick me up." "Where else? Waiting for this cheap woman." "Call Mimi too. I have a gift for her." This was the first time I heard Luke's voice. Usually, I only heard uncontrollable, muffled groans from his throat when we were intimate. Even those few sounds, I thought were sexy. I had asked him how he became mute and if there was a cure. He pulled his lips and signed: "A fever burned it out. Doctors say there's hope abroad, but the medical fees would be over a million." At the time, I thought if I died, I'd donate my heart to his mother. Then I'd sell the rest of my organs—corneas, kidneys, whatever—finding buyers beforehand. No matter what, I had to scrape together the medical fees for him. Letting him speak again became my dying wish. Now I hadn't died yet, but I had already heard his voice with my own ears. Ridiculous and tragic. Chapter 4 Luke entered a high-end club. The bouncer bowed and scraped to him, clearly showing he was a regular. I followed him in. Standing in the shadows of the hallway, through the crack of the half-open private room door, I saw dim lights and a table full of liquor bottles. As soon as Luke entered, people on the sofa started jeering: "Yo, Luke, not keeping 'Sis' company today?" He sneered, loosened his tie, and downed half a glass of wine: "Spent too much time with her lately. She's getting pushy." The girl I saw in the photo leaned in, her finger tracing ambiguously over his collarbone: "Luke, do you have something for me?" Luke took the gift box out of his pocket. "Here, play with it." The girl opened it and pouted dissatisfiedly. "Isn't this last year's style?" Luke glanced at it. "Yeah, I originally planned to give it to her." "What? Didn't you give her the $9.99 stuff?" The group of rich kids quickly gathered around. "Luke, you didn't catch feelings, did you?" Standing in the shadows at the door, I couldn't help clenching my trembling fists. Luke was silent for a moment, slowly blowing out a smoke ring: "What nonsense. A tacky, cheap old woman like her? You think I'd be interested?" "I was just thinking, I'm bored anyway. I'll reveal everything in a few days." "Honestly, compared to me, she's not bad. Sometimes I use her as a punching bag when I'm mad." The crowd erupted in teasing boos again. I was only meters away, yet it felt like I was in an abyss. "Luke, actually that woman isn't ugly. She looks quite delicate. After you reveal the truth, maybe I'll go comfort her while she's heartbroken. I could probably score." The girl named Mimi slapped the blond guy who spoke: "No way. That woman looks sickly. What kind of taste do you have?" Blondie chuckled. "I just like that fragile type... Luke, is she sick or not?" Luke swirled his wine glass. "Just a bit of anemia. She's dramatic." Mimi covered her mouth and laughed. "Right, last time I switched the pills on her nightstand. It's been so long, and she hasn't noticed?" The girl's laughter was as melodious as a nightingale, but it sounded like needles in my ears. No wonder my illness accelerated. It was because the expensive special medicine I gritted my teeth to buy was switched by Luke! A metallic taste surged in my throat. I covered my mouth and swallowed it desperately. Inside the room, Luke seemed a bit agitated, checking his phone repeatedly. Mimi lay on him. "Luke, why do you care about her?" Luke pinched her chin, smiling frivolously: "What's the rush? I'm waiting to see when Snow gives in. Are you jealous?" "Don't worry, she's about to be past tense." After speaking, he lowered his head and kissed her. Whistles and laughter erupted in the room. Standing outside, my fingernails dug deep into my palms, but I felt no pain. I slowly took out my phone and sent him a message: [I'll take you guys skiing this weekend.] Almost the next second, a deafening cheer came from the room. "Fuck! She replied!" "Luke, you win again!" Luke lazily held up his phone, the screen's light reflecting his triumphant smile. He shook it at the room full of people and said, "See? What did I tell you? She can't leave me." Mimi giggled and fell into his arms: "It's a deal. After skiing, bring her to my birthday party at my family's hotel. Then reveal your identity and announce our relationship." Luke paused, lowered his head, and bit her ear. "Of course." After they finished being intimate, he looked down and typed on his phone. Soon, I received a reply: "Okay. Classes are busy these days, so I won't come back. See you at the ski resort this weekend." I replied with a single word: "Okay." Then I turned and left. The club hallway was very long. My shadow was stretched thin and lonely. The night wind was still cold, but this time, I didn't cry.
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