In 1983, Liam Reynolds came to live with us. He stood out among his peers, and my heart had already secretly fallen for him. But I had a pronounced limp, and my insecurity kept me from expressing my feelings. The year of my high school finals, Dad lost the use of his legs, and our family was struggling to put food on the table. My parents considered sending Liam away. Instead, Liam got down on his knees before them, begging for help to finish his education, promising to return and marry me once he'd succeeded. I was overjoyed. I willingly gave up my own studies, working odd jobs to earn money for his tuition, just waiting for him to graduate and marry me. I endured from eighteen to twenty-eight. First, he pursued his Master's, then his Doctorate, and finally, he was going to study abroad. I wanted to see him one last time before he left, but instead, I saw him and Tiffany Chen acting intimately, laughing and talking. They had been married six years ago, sucking our family dry, spending our money, and now they were going to leave the country together. The truth hit me like a physical blow. Overcome with shock and rage, I collapsed in the street, my heart giving out. When I opened my eyes again, I heard Liam making promises to Dad. "Please don't send me back! Just let me finish school! When I come back, I'll marry Anya! We'll take care of both of you for the rest of your lives!" I cut off Liam's desperate plea. "Who wants you to marry them! You're not the only one in this family who can study!" 1 Liam stared at me in surprise. I emphasized it again, louder. "Our family is barely getting by right now! Even when I'm resting, I'm out doing farm chores! How can you have the nerve to ask our whole family to pay for your education?" "And marry me? You didn't even ask if I was willing!" Mom and Dad were also surprised by my attitude. In my past life, they had seen how deeply I felt about Liam. Liam's family was poor, with twelve brothers. He was the ninth, and at home, they starved more often than not. Getting an education was a luxury. Our family also had the Lin surname, and I was their only child, with a limp. Liam's parents had actively sought to have him adopted by our family. I was two years younger than Liam and always clung to him when we were little, but I knew he didn't like me. At least, whenever we were alone, he always kept his distance. But as long as my parents were home, he would sweetly call me "Anya, my little sister." From a young age, he knew how to charm my parents, eagerly volunteering for chores and farm work. When it was time to actually do them, he'd call me over for help. Then he'd quietly slip away and go wild playing with the other kids in the hills. I bore no resentment because I'd loved him since I was a child. But he used my love as a tool. His grades were already below mine, and after Dad injured his leg, our family fell into hard times. He didn't think about helping out; instead, he pushed for our whole family to support his studies. I was foolish back then, voluntarily dropping out of school and giving up on my finals to go out and earn money. But with my limp and not even a high school diploma, what factory would hire me? I hobbled with my limp, carrying sandbags at construction sites, picking up discarded vegetables at the market, and gathering coal cinders for warmth and fire, all just to save a few pennies to send to him for his education. All of this, just for that one sentence he uttered: "When I've achieved success, I'll marry Anya!" Over ten years, I'd lost my youthful figure. My parents also suffered greatly and passed away one after another. Liam didn't even make it back for their funerals. The villagers laughed at me, and some even urged me to stop waiting. He returned three days after my parents were buried. His first words were: "Did your mom and dad leave you anything valuable? My expenses outside were high, and I'm out of money." Foolishly, I pulled out the four hundred dollars we'd received as funeral gifts. He took the money and left. I didn't even have time to ask, "Liam, when are you coming back to marry me?" I secretly went to the state capital to find him, only to discover he hadn't even finished college. His Master's, Doctorate, and study abroad were all lies he used to extract money from our family. Six years ago, he took the money and quietly married Tiffany Chen from our village. And the so-called "study abroad" was just an excuse for them to go overseas and make a fortune. Overcome with shock and rage, I collapsed in the street and died. In this life, I was going to make Liam Reynolds live my life. 2 "Anya, didn't you... like me?" Liam Reynolds looked at me in disbelief. "I'm only 18! What do I know about liking or not liking anyone! Don't you dare spread rumors! The most important thing right now is to get my dad's leg treated!" In my previous life, my biggest regret was Dad's leg. It could have been cured, but the untrained village medic messed it up. "Your dad's leg... the village medic said it couldn't be fixed." I snapped at Liam: "Does what some quack says even count? Mom, Dad's leg can't wait; we have to go to a real hospital! I'm going to Mayor Thompson's place right now to borrow his truck!" Mom and Dad hesitated. Ignoring Liam's attempts to stop me, I rushed Dad to the big hospital. The treatment would cost nearly a thousand dollars, which our family absolutely couldn't afford. Dad wanted to give up, but I comforted him. "Dad! If we don't have enough money, I'll borrow it. At worst, Liam and I can work for a year, and we can still take our finals next year." Liam, feeling the spotlight on him, also chimed in: "That's right, Mr. Lin! The doctor said if you rest well for a year, you'll be just like anyone else. I'll take care of all the farm work this year!" Mom wiped away tears of relief, praising us both as good kids. Mom stayed in the city to take care of Dad. Liam and I rushed back home. On the way back, Liam asked me: "Are you really going to borrow money? Really going to drop out to work?" "Not just me, it's us! If you're not willing to get through this tough time together, then go back to your own family!" Liam fell silent, not answering. His original family was a sore spot for him: a violent father, a silent mother, and a bunch of brothers who fought over food. Just like in my previous life, I went to school to discuss taking a leave of absence, but this time, I brought Liam with me. The teacher's first reaction was to object. When he heard it was for my father's treatment, he suggested organizing a fundraiser. In my previous life, Liam handled my leave of absence, and I actually missed out on this fundraiser. My father was always a kind man in our town. Even Mayor Thompson wanted to help our family out. Before long, we had collected over $800. After borrowing a little more from relatives, we wouldn't even need to take a leave of absence. Helping out around town more often would also allow us to scrape by this year. I was about to call Liam to go to the hospital and deliver the money when I saw him with Tiffany Chen. "Liam! Why are you taking a leave of absence too?" "Anya, that girl, it's like she's a different person. If I quit now, I'll definitely be sent home, and you know what my family's situation is like." "Oh, Liam, if my family had fewer brothers, or if you could've lived with us back then, you wouldn't have had to suffer at Anya Lin's house." Tiffany sniffled and cried, and Liam tenderly pulled her into a hug. "How can I blame you? But I heard Anya's doing a fundraiser, probably four or five hundred at least. I'll steal the money then, and we can run away together." I stared at the two of them, kissing, my hand gripping the money bag tightly. He knew exactly what that money was for... As soon as Liam got back, he asked me how much I'd collected. I happily told him: "A thousand! Not only is it enough for Dad's medical bills, but it's also enough for both of us to keep studying!" Liam eagerly spread his arms to hug me, but I recoiled in disgust. His arms hung in the air for a moment, then dropped heavily. "Anya, give me the money, I'll take it to Uncle Lin!" "Give it to you? What's wrong?" His impatience was truly ridiculous. I pointed out the window. "It's already dark, how are you going to go?" Only then did he realize it was well past nightfall. "Then give me the money, I don't feel safe with a young girl like you carrying it." I pulled out a red cloth bundle from under my pillow. I'd sewn it myself, layer upon layer, at least seven or eight layers thick. "Be careful, don't open it. I've sewn it all up tight!" His hand trembled as he took the money, muttering about going to the hospital first thing in the morning. Then he quietly slipped out of the house. 3 Liam Reynolds went straight to Tiffany Chen. Tiffany's family had three older brothers; she was the only daughter. While not wealthy, her whole family valued her highly, dressing her in good clothes and providing her with nice things. The fact that they sent her to school showed her status in the household. "Are we leaving now?" "Yes! We'll walk to town and catch the earliest train tomorrow! Didn't you say you wanted to go to the beach? I'll take you!" "Wait for me! I'll pack some clothes!" "Why bother packing? I have money!" Liam rattled the red cloth bundle in his hand. The two of them kissed passionately by the door until a noise came from Tiffany's house. They panicked and fled. I walked to the spot they had just left and picked up Tiffany's red hair clip. Knock knock on Tiffany's family door. "Who is it! So late at night!" It was Tiffany's mom who opened the door. When she saw it was me, she looked impatient. "What now? I already donated money to your family! Are you here to borrow more? We don't have any!" I put my hand on the door, preventing her from closing it, my expression anxious. "Auntie! I'm not here to borrow money! Liam's missing! And all the money from the fundraiser is gone too!" "I found this hair clip in Liam's room! Take a look, is it Tiffany's!" There were only a few hair clips like this in the whole school. Tiffany's mom snatched it, examined it repeatedly, then turned and rushed inside, frantically calling for Tiffany. The entire Chen household was roused. Tiffany's mom rushed back to the door, asking me: "Anya, when did you say Liam went missing?" "About an hour ago." Tiffany's brothers started talking over each other. "That kid's been too close to our Tiffany! I knew something wasn't right!" "Stealing the donations? Did they run away together!" "What are we waiting for! Let's go find them!" The Chen family was a prominent family in our town. In no time, lights went on all over the neighborhood. Mayor Thompson asked me what happened, and I sobbed uncontrollably. "Mayor! I gave all the money to my brother! And my brother ran off with it! Tiffany Chen is missing too, what am I going to do? My dad's waiting for that money for his surgery!" With just a few words, I linked the money directly to them both. The Mayor tried to comfort me. "Don't worry, don't worry! How much did you collect in total?" "Including what the school gave and what I borrowed, it was over a thousand dollars." A thousand dollars, in that era, was enough for a family to live on for a year! It was no small sum. "Found them! They're at the edge of town! They were indeed trying to leave!" I hurried along with Tiffany's mom. The two of them were surrounded. From their expressions, they didn't know what was happening. Until Tiffany's mom appeared, grabbing her daughter by the ear. "What are you doing here with this boy so late at night!" "Mom! Mom! We were just taking a walk!" "A walk? Then why were you running! We were calling you to run!" Tiffany's brothers were panting. "We really were just taking a walk!" Both of them were still stubbornly denying it. I walked out from behind the crowd. Liam looked at me in surprise. "Liam, why did you run off with Dad's life-saving money?" He looked flustered. "I didn't run off! I was just taking a walk!" "You were taking a walk with Tiffany Chen so late at night? Do you like her?" Liam didn't expect me to ask so directly, and he blurted out, "Yes." Tiffany smiled with satisfaction, while her brothers glared unhappily at Liam. I continued to ask: "Then what did you mean a few days ago, when you proposed to my dad to marry me?" Liam was speechless for a moment, while Tiffany looked utterly shocked. After a long pause, Tiffany suddenly yelled: "Didn't you say you loved me!" Tiffany's mom slapped her hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking nonsense. She clearly didn't think highly of Liam. I had no time for romantic dramas. I held out my hand: "Give me Dad's life-saving money!" "What life-saving money? I don't know what you're talking about!" I smiled. He thought he could get away with denial. I turned to Tiffany: "I refused his offer to live with us, and that's why he came to you. You were just his backup." Tiffany was still young and couldn't handle such provocation. She pushed her mother's hand away, pointing at Liam. "Who do you actually like! Why did you ask me to run away with you!" The word "run away" caused the nearby villagers to gasp collectively. 4 Tiffany Chen's family immediately dragged her away, forbidding her from saying anything more. Liam Reynolds hadn't expected Tiffany to be so useless in this situation. I held out my hand again. "Give me the money! If you didn't have money, how would you dare to run away? That's my dad's life-saving money!" "What money! I don't understand what you're saying!" He was still being stubborn. I immediately began to sob, recounting all the good things Dad had done for him. Some of the villagers couldn't stand it and stepped forward to search him. "If you really didn't take it, let a few of us search you. This isn't a small sum." He couldn't resist and was held down by the crowd. They searched him repeatedly. And found nothing. Liam mumbled as he put on his jacket. "I don't know what money you're talking about! You probably lost it yourself and want to blame it on me!" "I do like Tiffany Chen, and I'm just dating her. We're both adults, dating is perfectly normal!" At this point, the villagers all looked at me, and I could see a sly smile on Liam's lips. "Fine! Liam Reynolds, you clearly took the money! I wrapped that money in red cloth seven or eight layers thick, and the cloth I borrowed from Mayor Thompson! Do you dare to swear on it?" Liam froze for half a second. He didn't swear, but he continued to deny it. I knelt on the ground, bowing my head deeply several times to the crowd. "I've troubled you all recently, and I ask all you villagers to bear witness! This Liam Reynolds refuses to admit he stole the money! This money is crucial for my father's life! I have no desire to be related to such an ungrateful parasite any longer! From today onwards, Liam Reynolds is not allowed to enter my house! My family will have no further ties with Liam Reynolds!" Every word I spoke was filled with grief, and I bowed my head several more times, hard enough to draw blood from my forehead. The villagers rushed forward to help me up. "Maybe it's a misunderstanding! Do you really have to be so absolute?" I pointed at Liam, my forehead still bearing a blood mark, my voice firm: "This is my dad's life-saving money! If you don't return it to me, you will never set foot in my house again!" I bowed to each villager who had donated to my dad, thanking them. Liam stood by, silent. Only after everyone had left did Liam speak. "Are you really going to kick me out?" I extended my hand again. "Give me the money! This is my last chance for you!" He smiled and shrugged. It was the same in this life as in the last: always a self-serving opportunist. "Don't blame me! A thousand dollars is enough for four years of tuition! I can get away from that family, I can start my own life." As expected, he never intended to return the money. "Anya, I've noticed you're different from before, but you're still not smart enough. You came looking for me so openly, did you think I wouldn't be prepared?" He lifted his chin, his posture like a victor. "I know your family took me in back then because they wanted me to marry into your family. To put it nicely, you have a limp. To put it harshly, you're disabled. I truly don't like you~" He spoke cutting words, completely disregarding my feelings, then slowly walked to a tree and pulled out a red cloth bundle from behind it. He triumphantly waved it at me. "You want this, right?" I frowned, and he continued. "Why make things so ugly~ What if you need something from me in the future? You're really burning bridges~" "Since you're kicking me out~ then consider this compensation for all the years I 'suffered' at your house." His silhouette vanished into the night. At that moment, I touched the money in my pocket. Every single cent.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "392506", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel