I woke up inside the belly of the pregnant secondary character, reborn as a newborn baby. My dad was an A-list actor who had a drunken one-night stand with my mom, resulting in me. But in the original novel, I was never even born! 1. I was currently being cradled in the arms of a weak but stunning woman. She was whispering to me: "Baby, I, Chloe Sterling, will no longer beg for Carter Vance's love. Having you is enough." Wait! Chloe Sterling? Carter Vance? Aren't these the names of the male lead and the wicked female antagonist from that Hollywood romance novel I read recently? The male lead was a top-tier actor, and the female antagonist was a C-list starlet. After a drunken night, she got pregnant. Meanwhile, the female lead, Serena Brooks, was the male lead's childhood friend who secretly loved him and entered showbiz just to be near him. In the novel, after getting pregnant, the female antagonist threw endless tantrums and tried to keep the male and female leads apart, completely destroying whatever little affection the male lead had left for her. And in the novel, the antagonist's child was never born. Could it be that my sheer will to live was strong enough to alter the plot? The original story ended with the female lead becoming a celebrated actress, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the male lead at the pinnacle of the industry. The sole purpose of the female antagonist was just to make the male lead realize his true feelings for the female lead. A classic plot device. But the gentle, beautiful woman holding me now didn't look anything like the hysterical madwoman from the book. Was it because her character's role in the story had ended, freeing her from the plot's control? Or was there another reason? A tear fell onto my cheek. She was crying. It suddenly dawned on me—could her erratic behavior in the book have simply been caused by pregnancy hormones? It's a known fact that a lack of emotional support makes new mothers highly susceptible to postpartum depression. The only person staying with her in the hospital room was her manager. An auntie who looked strict but held me with incredible tenderness. Thank goodness she had someone by her side. 2. I'm six years old now. Chloe seems to have genuinely forgotten all her past drama. Just as she said back then, she stopped begging for Carter's love; having me was enough. She poured all her heart and soul into me. Around me, she always maintained a calm and stable demeanor. There was only one time I saw her lose control. "Riley Sterling, why have we never seen your dad come play with you?" "Do you not have a dad?" "Hahaha, my grandma says kids like you are feral brats without a dad." Kids can be so directly cruel. Six-year-olds understand perfectly well what they're saying. Faced with these obnoxious brats, I let my fists do the talking. Eventually, the parents of the bruised kids marched up to Chloe, demanding an explanation. The loudest and most aggressive among them was the gossiping grandmother. "You single mothers just don't know how to discipline your children! Look at what she did to our little Timmy! A little girl hitting people so viciously—she clearly lacks a proper upbringing." I walked up and pointed right at her: "You're Timmy's grandma, right? So you're the one who told Timmy I'm a feral brat without a dad?" Hearing that, the other parents immediately shot the grandmother dirty looks. "So you taught your kid to run his mouth. No wonder he got beat up; he deserved it." The other parents gathered their kids and left, apologizing to Chloe before they did. "We're so sorry, Riley's mom. We should have watched our kids better." Timmy's grandma still tried to make a scene. Chloe's face hardened: "Shameless people come in all ages, but some just get thicker-skinned as they get older." The onlookers started whispering and pointing at Timmy's grandma. Feeling humiliated, she grabbed Timmy and hurried away. It wasn't until we got home that Chloe finally dropped her tough exterior. "Riley, do you... ever wish you had a dad?" Hearing the exhaustion in her voice, I hugged her tight. "No way. I already have the best mom in the world." I thought the incident was over. But someone had recorded the whole thing and posted it online. At first, the comments were all condemning the old lady for being a toxic gossip with no morals. But then someone pointed out: "Doesn't that heavily disguised single mom look a lot like Chloe Sterling? And the little girl looks just like her too." After that, the situation quickly spiraled out of control. Chloe's manager called, saying they couldn't keep it a secret anymore. After hanging up, Chloe posted a tweet. "I have a daughter, and she is my whole world." Over the past few years, she had been steadily acting. With a change in her mindset, she had truly focused on honing her craft, gradually transforming from a C-list starlet relying on fleeting fame into a highly respected, talented actress. Because of this, the reaction to her tweet wasn't a bloodbath. "So she had a baby girl six years ago?" "A single mom... Chloe, how did you survive these past six years?" "We see the mature, brave woman approaching thirty now, but how did you get through it when you were twenty-four? The video shows Riley was raised so well—brave, reasonable, and protective of her mom. But I still can't help but cry for the carefree, joyful Chloe I first became a fan of." "Is no one else curious about who the baby daddy is?" "Just whispering here, but doesn't Riley look a bit like a certain Mr. Vance? Weren't there rumors about them hooking up six years ago?" Even the netizens had guessed it. How could my deadbeat dad not have seen the news? I frowned, looking at the man standing in front of me, wrapped up tight in a coat and sunglasses. I thought to myself: Carter Vance, don't you think you look exactly like a kidnapper right now? 3. Carter's opening line was: "I... am your father." My eyes went wide. I had never seen someone so shameless. You can't just walk up and claim fatherhood out of nowhere! I don't know who gave him Chloe's address, but he ambushed me at the small park I usually played in. He timed it perfectly, appearing right when my nanny went to grab something, leaving me alone for a few minutes. "Riley, I'm your biological father. No one will ever call you a feral brat again." Wow. Carter was really high on his own drama. Did he actually think saying that would make me accept him as my dad? He abandoned Chloe when she was pregnant to pursue his so-called "true love." He ignored me for six years, and if it weren't for that viral video, he probably wouldn't even know I existed. "I'll take good care of you and give you the best life possible." This is hilarious. Is Carter a comedian? Why did he think a few words could outweigh Chloe's six years of devotion? And what was that about giving me "the best life possible"??? Excuse me, my mom, Chloe Sterling, might not be the most famous A-lister in Hollywood, but she’s worked her way up, step by step. She has a stellar reputation and incredible acting skills. After all these years of hard work, she's rich too! I looked around and saw plenty of parents watching their kids play. I geared myself up, squeezed out some tears, and started wailing at the top of my lungs. I cried and screamed: "Help! There's a kidnapper! He's trying to take me away!" "Stranger danger! He's stealing kids!!!" For parents, there is nothing more despicable than a kidnapper. My performance instantly drew a crowd of parents who surrounded Carter and shielded me. "How dare you! Trying to snatch a kid in broad daylight! You heartless monster, stealing someone's child—do you have no shame?" Someone even pulled out their phone to call 911. Carter fled in a panic, looking completely different from his usual glamorous, superstar self. Hahaha, serves him right. 4. When Chloe found out, she asked me anxiously if I was hurt. I shook my head and told her I fought off the bad guy without a single scratch. The nanny felt terribly guilty, blaming herself for leaving me alone for those few minutes. Chloe didn't blame her at all. "The security in this community is great, and you've always taken such good, attentive care of Riley while I'm working." She hesitated for a moment, looked at me, and then continued: "That man wasn't a kidnapper. He's your biological father." Chloe crouched down in front of me. "Riley, did he say anything to you?" I told Chloe everything Carter had said. She suddenly pulled me into a tight hug, whispering to herself: "I won't let him take you away from me." I kissed Chloe's cheek. "Mom, I'm not going anywhere. I just want to stay with you. Besides, I already knew he was my dad." "How did you know?" I tried to look profound. "Whenever his shows come on TV, you change the channel. You don't even let me watch his commercials." Chloe looked at me and gently touched my cheek. "You look a little bit like him." I nodded. Genetics are powerful; I really did look like a perfect blend of the two of them. "His only useful contribution was giving me his good looks." "Mom, isn't Riley Sterling the cutest, prettiest kid you've ever seen?" Chloe smiled and nodded. "Riley is the prettiest, cutest, smartest kid in the world, and Mom's good baby." "This vacation, how about you come to the set with Mom?" It made sense. Who knew when Carter might try to ambush me again? I nodded. "Okay, since you'll miss me so much, I'll go keep you company." 5. The show Chloe was currently filming was her first time playing the lead in a serious, prestige drama since she entered the industry. She was the undisputed main character. You could say this drama was crucial for her career. If it succeeded, her career would reach a whole new level. If it failed, it would be very difficult for her to land the lead role in a major production like this again. I tried my best to be a good kid and not cause Chloe any trouble. In the show, the male lead was a passionate, idealistic rookie. Off-screen, the lead actor was a talented young star. He loved playing with kids, but seeing him act so childish made me feel like I was the mature one. "Leo, could you act a little more like an adult?" Hearing me call him that, Leo suddenly got very serious. "Wrong, little Riley. You should be calling me 'Uncle Leo'." I was a bit speechless. Fine, if he didn't mind me making him sound old, whatever. "Okay, Uncle Leo." He was playing with me when he suddenly froze. I followed his gaze. Uh-oh, the ghost that won't leave us alone. Carter had arrived and was talking to Chloe, though I couldn't hear what they were saying. Chloe's expression was stiff. Leo looked back at me, as if he wanted to ask something. I met his eyes and nodded solemnly. "You don't have to say it. Whatever you're thinking, you're right." His eyes widened; he looked like he had just stumbled upon the juiciest gossip of the century. Maybe I was mistaken, but did I sense hostility in the way he looked at Carter? Makes sense. Who wouldn't despise a cheater? I walked closer and eavesdropped on their conversation. "A child needs a father growing up. You don't want Riley being called a feral brat." "I want to take Riley to live with me for a while. You're balancing filming and taking care of her; you must be overwhelmed, right?" I have to say, Carter was truly despicable. Every word he said was designed to stab Chloe right in the heart. Ever since that incident at the park, it had been a sore spot for Chloe. She had done her absolute best, yet the daughter she cherished more than anything was still called a feral brat. Chloe had been reading books on child psychology non-stop. I secretly peeked at one once, and she had written a note in the margins. "Even if I do my absolute best, can I really not replace the role of a father in a child's development?" I really, really hated Carter. He was talking down to Chloe, declaring his dominance. No matter how well you do, you still need me. And I definitely didn't sense that Carter loved me all that much. His mentality seemed to be more like: This is my daughter, and I need everyone to know I'm her father. Chloe asked me if I wanted to go. I smiled and nodded. Carter wanted me to go to his house, right? Perfect. I wasn't going there to join his family. I was going there to wreck it. 6. At Carter's house, I finally met Serena. The woman who was Carter's childhood friend and had loved him for years. Honestly, Carter was such a scumbag. Six years ago, he left Chloe to pursue his "true love." That's where the original novel ended. And now? Serena had been living with him for six years, and Carter still hadn't proposed. His "true love" was awfully cheap. Serena thoughtfully prepared everything I might need, bought me a ton of gifts, and showed me around their home. And Carter? He acted like he had completed a mission and won a war. He completely washed his hands of the aftermath. He left everything to Serena and played the hands-off boss. But I wasn't here for a vacation. I was here to cause chaos. "Waaaah, I'm so scared." In the middle of the night, I knocked on Carter's door, crying. He looked incredibly annoyed. "Riley, what's wrong?" "I'm scared to sleep alone. Mom always sleeps with me." Suppressing his frustration, Carter let me in. Halfway through the night, Carter was jolted awake by something freezing cold. He felt something on his face, reached up, and realized it was a wet, icy towel. He opened his eyes and saw me looking at him timidly. "I wanted to wash my face, but my hand slipped." Carter took a deep breath and threw the towel across the room. I heard him mutter: "She's just a six-year-old kid. She didn't mean it." In just one week, I tortured Carter in every way imaginable. He went from a glamorous, polished movie star to a haggard, exhausted, rough-looking mess. To be fair, I was just letting him experience what taking care of a kid is actually like. Sure, I was an angel around Chloe. But the exhaustion Carter endured over these seven days was nothing compared to what Chloe went through. Serena truly loved Carter. Seeing him look so haggard broke her heart, and she volunteered to stay with me at night. I lowered my head and whispered, but made sure my voice was loud enough for all three of us to hear. "But my mom took care of me exactly like this all the time. Uncle Carter says he's my dad, but he couldn't even last a week."
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