How deep can a woman's schemes go?_How deep can a woman's schemes go?

I am a psychologist.

A typical high-achieving woman with good looks, high education, and high income.

The first time I noticed something was off was the smell of shower gel on my man.

In our house, I use shower gel, he uses soap, fixed brands, fixed fragrances, so when he came close to kiss me that day, I noticed.

"Did you take a shower outside today?"

"Yes, a bird pooped on my head, I didn't want to stink you out, so I took a shower at school before coming home." I smiled and my gaze quickly swept across his face.

He was too calm.

I tested him with a lipstick and found out he was cheating... The first time I noticed something was off was the smell of shower gel on my man.

So, I joked that it was a good thing we weren't at their old home, otherwise, in such a situation, we would have to ask for "hundred families' rice" to make "hundred families' meal" to ward off bad luck.

In the evening, before I took a shower, I picked up his clothes thrown in the washing machine and sniffed them over and over again, but I couldn't smell anything other than the shower gel.

A man, from the time he leaves the house in the morning until he comes home at night, how many people does he have to come into contact with? How could there be no smell of smoke, perfume, sweat, food?

I examined his clothes carefully again.

A normal adult male loses about 50 hairs a day, and the collar is a disaster area, but this shirt of his didn't have a single hair! It was so clean it was as if he had just changed into it before coming home.

That night, he was particularly fierce, and I thought of a term: paying the public grain.

I felt sick in my heart, I have a slight obsession with cleanliness, although there is a huge uncertainty in this matter, but the whole process, I felt like I had eaten a dead fly.

"Honey, you're not in a good mood today." After it was over, Ethan held me from behind, "Did you hear something again when you were treating people?" I hummed in response.

In our line of work, many people think we have clear hearts and are like orchids in an empty valley, but in fact, we face people with psychological problems every day.

As the saying goes, "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." The little monsters in the hearts of our clients will more or less project into our hearts and become new little monsters.

Most of the time, we can self-regulate, and if it gets too much, we seek help from our peers.

"It's a case of chronic infidelity." I made up a story on the spot, "The man is a famous playboy, he used to cheat outside, but after being discovered by his wife, he simply brought the women outside home." "That wife, who is my client, is very distressed." I turned over and frowned, "Why are you men so fickle?" "You're stereotyping!" Ethan pinched the soft flesh on my waist, "Not all men are fickle! Whether they are fickle or not mainly depends on their moral bottom line." "Some men have no moral bottom line, they see one and eat one; some men, like your husband, have a high moral bottom line, the first one in this life is you, and the last one is also you." I didn't see any problems in his micro-expressions.

It's normal not to see a problem, it would be abnormal to see a problem.

As an associate professor in the mathematics department of a university, a pure science and engineering man, in terms of IQ, he crushes me.

I met Ethan when we were in college.

Both of us were in a combined bachelor's and master's program, I was in psychology, he was in mathematics.

When we were dating, everyone said we were a strong combination, a collision of rationality and rationality.

After graduating with a master's degree, we got married without any surprises.

He teaches at the school, supervises undergraduates, and is a part-time doctoral student; with the support of my mentor and the financial help of my parents, I opened a psychological counseling firm.

I majored in applied psychology, and hypnosis is a branch of it.

Psychology started late in my country, and in the early days, people not only rejected hypnosis but were also more resistant to psychology itself, always feeling that this field was full of charlatans.

So, the early days were tough, and it only gradually got better. Later on, after handling a few major cases, I gained some fame in the industry.

Fame seems very abstract, but it can indeed bring tangible benefits.

The revenue of my practice soared.

There's a saying: "A woman's sense of security doesn't come from a man, but from money." Because I earned more, my status at home also grew, and my sense of security became more substantial. I was almost certain that Ethan wouldn't have an affair, but reality slapped me hard—

The day after I sensed something was wrong, he picked me up from work and hugged me as usual.

Because of the issue with the clothes, I had a seed of doubt in my heart. Seeing his overly clean clothes again, I didn't hesitate to slip a lipstick into his coat pocket.

After that, I pretended nothing had happened and cheerfully went to the restaurant with him for dinner.

During the meal, he went to the bathroom for a good ten minutes and came back looking pale.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, just some school stuff."

"Do you need to go back to the school?"

"No need, it can wait until tomorrow."

Two actors, I played the part of "completely unaware" flawlessly, and he gave his all to portray "troubled by work issues."

After we got home, he took off his coat, grabbed his phone, and went to the bathroom to shower. I felt his coat pocket, and the lipstick was gone.

Typical guilty conscience.

I tiptoed to the bathroom door and first heard the "didi" sound of incoming WeChat messages, followed by his hushed, scolding tone: "If not you, then who?! No need to explain!... I'm at home, we'll talk tomorrow!" My heart sank.

I stepped back, poured myself a glass of wine, and sat on the sofa, pondering my next move... We didn't have children, so a divorce would mainly involve property.

Our joint assets, besides fixed assets (house, car, collectibles, savings), everything else was managed by Ethan—stocks, funds, insurance, he bought them all, and the bank card tied to them was with him. I hardly asked about it... "Wife, what made you think of drinking today?" Ethan came out of the bathroom, drying his hair, and asked me.

"Cheering up!" I raised my glass in his direction, with a hint of invitation, "I saw you rush to take a shower as soon as you got back, I thought you... wasn't it?"

"Yes." He came over and kissed me.

Two people, clearly not in the mood, both pretending to be.

I still felt as sick as if I'd eaten a dead fly, yet I kept reminding myself: I can't let him realize that I already know.

I've seen many divorces, and no matter how heartfelt the vows were in the past, few maintain their dignity while dividing assets; many become detestable.

I don't want to see his detestable side, nor do I want him to see mine, so the best way is to be elegant and get my calculations done first.

I am a selfish person; I don't want to struggle for years only to make a wedding dress for someone else.

The next day, I did two things.

The first thing: I went to a law firm and hired a proxy lawyer, to consult with a professional about what to do next. The proxy lawyer first affirmed my actions from the previous night, advising me not to confront the situation hastily. Before revealing my hand, I should prepare thoroughly to catch the other party off guard. He was slightly worried about the lipstick, "You were still too impulsive. With your husband's intelligence, he will soon suspect the lipstick was planted by you." I replied, "He has no evidence, that lipstick shade isn't one I commonly use, and he knows I have a slight obsession with cleanliness." The proxy lawyer advised me to be cautious not to give myself away, and then he suggested [three steps + one additional piece of advice]. The first step is to collect evidence of the affair; the second step is to apply to the court for asset preservation based on the collected evidence; I don't need to thoroughly organize the assets, just provide clues to the court for asset preservation, and the court can take measures. The third step is to sue for divorce, asking to dissolve the marriage; the judge will decide how to split the marital assets based on the evidence. The additional advice: if Ethan bought any high-value items for his mistress during the marriage, such as a house or car, it's considered encroachment on the other spouse's share of assets, and I could legally reclaim them.

The second thing: [I hired a private investigator to collect evidence of Ethan's infidelity.] This person, to put it nicely, is called a "private investigator," and less kindly, a "paparazzo," who often also gathers gossip news for people. My requirements were: A, I want to know who the mistress is and how long they've been together; B, photos of their dates, the kind that prove their relationship, such as kissing or entering a hotel room; C, I want to know if Ethan has ever given her any significant gifts, like a house or car. The private investigator readily agreed, of course, at a hefty fee.

The efficiency of the private investigator was really impressive, making those prime-time soap opera heroines who spend a lot of time and effort to find the mistress look foolish—they should hire a private investigator without hesitation. On the fourth day after I commissioned the private investigator, he had already identified the mistress.

An acquaintance.

Her name is Seraphina, a golden phoenix that flew out of a mountain nest.

During college, she interned at my office in her senior year, and then transitioned at my office for half a year after graduation. The job she later got was even with a recommendation letter I wrote... Who would have thought, the farmer and the viper! I almost laughed.

Half a month ago, at an industry gathering, the person who clinked glasses with me and casually asked me what I would do if my husband cheated was also her.

That was a subtle declaration of war.

I believe Ethan must have also felt her intentions, so when I put the lipstick in his pocket, he never doubted me.

"When did they start?"

"I haven't found out yet, but they've been living together for 2 years. Here is their address..." I looked at the address on the note.

It was a property not far from the university, also close to where Seraphina works, convenient for both of them.

"Is the house bought or rented?"

"Bought, in Seraphina's name."

I didn't need to ask who paid for the house.

Seraphina graduated from college less than five years ago, not very famous, and her monthly salary is just over ten thousand now.

Back in their hometown, the emergence of a college student was something the entire village would celebrate, and she also had a good-for-nothing brother who always needed support... And that property development, even three years ago, a 80-square-meter flat wouldn't go for less than 2 million! I sighed.

Ethan is usually quite frugal, not willing to buy me a bag worth tens of thousands, but he easily spent over 2 million on a house for the mistress! Chapter 2 Unsatisfied Hearts "Sis, don't be too sad! Men are just like that, creatures that think with their lower half."

The private investigator, though a man, had no trouble criticizing men, "That woman isn't as pretty as you, your husband is just tired of the same look, seeking some excitement."

I smiled.

Ethan's pursuit of Seraphina was indeed partly due to "tiredness, seeking excitement," but more so due to psychological needs.

They were both born in rural areas, and struggled to make it to the big city, feeling a kind of kinship. Ethan saw a bit of himself in Seraphina.

My original family background didn't match Ethan's. In his words, he struggled for 20 years to have the chance to drink coffee at Starbucks with me.

Even though he now holds a higher social status, the inherent inferiority complex is still there. Whenever he goes to high-end places, he can't help but show timidity and will observe others first.

When he is with Seraphina, due to his absolute advantage in economic and social status, he must feel more relaxed and more joyous.

Moreover, their hometown holds a backward view that a man's success isn't just measured by how much he earns or achieves, but also by how many women he has.

During our school days, I discussed this topic with him, and he fiercely criticized it.

Unfortunately, the things that have subtly influenced him for years are already ingrained in his bones; it's not easy to counteract just by having the right values.

As for Seraphina, whether she truly loves Ethan or not, I won't jump to conclusions.

In the adult world, it's often just about each getting what they need.

When Seraphina interned at my place, she expressed her envy of me more than once: my background, career, and marriage.

So, from my perspective, being with Ethan, she can get material support, and on a spiritual level, she feels she has finally surpassed me.

"Sis, these are their photos, that's all I've managed to take so far."

The private investigator handed me a few photos, "Do you plan to go to court now or wait a few more days?"

I looked at the photos, at the two of them coming and going together, and felt bitter.

The promises of the past couldn't withstand the ravages of time.

"Sis, Christmas is in a couple of days."

The private investigator looked at my face and asked cautiously, "Do you want to think it over?"

"In my line of work, I see a lot of dirty affairs. Honestly, I've never seen a man who's never strayed in his life," said the private investigator.

For a moment, I wavered, but ultimately I said, "Keep a close watch for me."

Christmas was soon upon us.

As usual, Ethan brought a large bouquet of red roses to our office.

The young people in the office, as usual, made a fuss, cast envious glances at us, and hooted in the work group, saying they were stuffed with dog food... I left work early, went shopping, bought a bag, and then had a western meal.

Throughout the process, I actually cherished it very much, because it might be the last time the two of us celebrated a holiday together. However, what no one expected was that before dinner was over, Ethan received a call and said he had to leave.

He said his colleague had a fight with his girlfriend and even had a physical fight with her ex-boyfriend. Now he was in the hospital, and the police were taking a statement, so he had to go and see.

I knew most of Ethan's colleagues who could be intimate enough to call him about such a thing.

I picked up my coat and said, "Let's go together," but Ethan stopped me. He told me to enjoy my meal and said that the person involved didn't want too many people to know about it. He also said he would call me after he had played the peacemaker.

I understood immediately and thought of the palace dramas on TV: those so-called favored concubines always liked to show off in front of the queen, and in the end, they didn't even know how they died.

"Okay, you go," I said, changing from standing to sitting, "I'll go to a bar after dinner." Ethan looked at me and smiled, bent down, held my face, and rubbed his forehead against mine, his tone as doting as ever: "Don't flirt with the little wolves." I hummed in response, then put on a show, jokingly saying, "Maybe! If you want to be jealous, come back early." Ethan pinched my nose and turned to leave.

I watched his back and called the private detective: "Where are you?"

Ethan left.

The private detective said he was following Seraphina, and then he gave me an address.

From where we were eating to where Seraphina was, considering the traffic on Christmas, it would take about 40 minutes by car. However, an hour had passed.

Christmas came quickly.

As usual, Ethan brought a large bouquet of red roses to our office.

The young people in the office, as usual, made a fuss, as usual, cast envious glances at us, as usual, hooted in the work group, saying they were fed a mouthful of dog food... I left work early, went shopping for a while, bought a bag, and then had a western meal.

Throughout the process, I actually cherished it very much, because it might be the last holiday for the two of us. However, who would have thought that before dinner was over, Ethan received a call and said he had to leave.

He said his colleague had a fight with his girlfriend, and even had a physical fight with his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. The person was now in the hospital, the police were taking a statement, and he had to go and see.

Ethan's colleagues, who could be intimate enough to call him about this kind of thing, I knew eight or nine out of ten.

I picked up my coat and said "let's go together," but Ethan stopped me. He told me to enjoy my meal and said that the person involved didn't want too many people to know about this. He also said that he would call me after he finished playing the peacemaker.

I understood, and immediately thought of the palace dramas on TV: those so-called favored concubines always liked to show off in front of the main wife, and in the end, they didn't even know how they died.

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"Alright, you go," I changed from standing to sitting, "I'll go to a bar after dinner." Ethan looked at me and smiled, bent down, held my face, and rubbed his forehead against mine, his tone as doting as ever: "Don't flirt with the little wolves." I hummed in response, and then put on a show, jokingly saying: "Maybe! If you're jealous, come back early." Ethan pinched my nose and turned to leave.

I watched his back and called the private investigator: "Where are you?"

Ethan left.

The private investigator said he was following Seraphina, and then he gave me an address.

From where we were eating to where Seraphina was, considering the road conditions on Christmas, it would take about 40 minutes by car. However, an hour passed.

The private investigator texted me that Ethan hadn't arrived yet.

I almost thought Ethan had a fourth woman, or perhaps, a colleague really did go to the hospital. Twenty minutes later, the private investigator said Ethan had arrived... That night, I met a few friends at a bar and sat for a while. The crowd was noisy around me, but my mind was full of the image of those two.

At midnight, I returned home, and Ethan hadn't come back yet.

I walked into the study to turn on the computer, and before my hand even touched it, I knew why Ethan took twice as long to get to Seraphina's place after leaving the restaurant.

He had come back, and my computer had been tampered with.

Everyone has their own habits when using a computer. My left and right eyes have different degrees of myopia, and my right eye has astigmatism, so when the computer is on the table, it has a slight tilt.

Ethan is too familiar with this house, so familiar that he forgot to pay attention to these details.

The traces of computer use had been cleared.

The most important thing on my computer, besides some cutting-edge academic materials, is the paper I've been writing recently, which Seraphina could directly use.

Once a paper is published in an academic journal, it can be rated in the industry.

I don't want to speculate about Ethan and Seraphina's most malicious intentions, but I have to prepare for the worst in advance.

Although I only started writing that paper a while ago, I had been preparing for it for a full three years, analyzing thousands of cases, and spending a lot of time and energy.

"Stealing my academic achievements is even more despicable than stealing my man!" I poured myself a strong coffee and sat in front of the computer to start writing an email... At 3 a.m., Ethan came home.

He crept into bed, and I pretended to be fast asleep.

The next morning, he first apologized and briefly spoke about how he broke up a fight the previous night, saying he would make it up to me for Christmas later, and then casually asked me, "Is your paper finished? When do you plan to publish it?"

What I was originally 80% sure of now became certain.

"Just finished it a couple of days ago, need to check it over, adjust the wording and formatting, and it should be ready to publish."

I smiled as I set a trap for them, "But whether it can be published or when, that's unclear. You know, the more authoritative the academic journal, the harder it is to get a paper published."

"It will definitely pass!" Ethan said, "This is your area of expertise, the subject you've been studying for years, how could it not pass? We'll celebrate properly when it does!"

I smiled and narrowed my eyes, "Okay," thinking to myself, so you knew I've been studying this for many years, huh! If it weren't for the fact that I know Ethan isn't easily hypnotized, I might even suspect that he's been hypnotized by Seraphina, which is why he had an affair, ignoring intellectual property rights, my hard work, and helping Seraphina to steal my academic achievements!

After Christmas, Seraphina became increasingly brazen.

Her social media status boldly stated "Green, coming from blue, surpasses blue."

Her posts were more inspirational than the last: "I haven't seen 5 a.m. in Los Angeles, but I've seen 2 a.m. in City A over 2000 nights."

"Interest is the best teacher, applied psychology has been my chosen field since high school, and hypnosis is my greatest passion. Although I'm not a graduate or doctoral student, practice brings true knowledge, and I can do it!"

"I may not be a genius, but I believe in the power of diligence. If this paper passes, I've decided to treat myself to a big meal, and then... a romance. I've been single for years, it's time to start dating, or else during the New Year's celebration, all the aunts and uncles will start nagging again."...

To avoid being too obvious, I chose a few posts to like, and even left a comment on one.

I said, "Seraphina, keep it up! With your hard work, the field of hypnosis in our country will surely have a place for you."

She replied, "Thank you, Teacher Yan, interning at your office was the most important encounter of my life."

I responded with a smiley face, thinking to myself: Indeed, it was the most important encounter of your life, otherwise, you wouldn't have met Ethan, wouldn't have become the other woman, and wouldn't have taken the wrong path to seduce a man to steal my academic achievements.

On the same day, a QQ group I've been lurking in for ages lit up—"I remember Seraphina's undergraduate thesis was a copy-paste job, and she was called out by the supervisor after the defense. Is she writing a paper now to make up for her undergraduate regrets?" "2000 plus 2 a.m.'s? She has the nerve to say that? During her 4 years of college, she was busy working part-time, selling drinks at the bar, and chatting every night!" "That's also at 2 a.m., she's not wrong. Besides, chatting is also about gauging people's psychology, especially men's. Dear upstairs, please don't view @Aurora's sponsored child with colored glasses."

"She has a typical people-pleasing personality, @Aurora, do you know what Seraphina is researching? These days her tail is almost wagging to the sky, feels like any minute she'll come to talk to me about becoming a senior partner."

"Stealing my academic achievements is even worse than stealing my man!" I poured a cup of strong coffee and sat in front of the computer to start writing an email... At 3 a.m., Ethan came home.

He tiptoed into bed, and I pretended to be asleep.

The next morning, he first apologized, briefly explained how he had mediated the fight last night, said he would make up for Christmas at some point, and then casually asked me, "Is your paper finished? When are you planning to publish it?" What I was only 80% sure of before has now become 100%.

"I just finished it a few days ago, I'll check it again, adjust the wording and format, and it should be ready to be published." I set a trap for them with a smile, "But whether it can be published, when it will be published, is unclear. As you know, the more authoritative the academic journal, the harder it is to publish a paper."

"It's sure to pass!" Ethan said, "This is your field of expertise, you've been studying this for so many years, how could it not pass? We'll celebrate properly when the time comes!" I smiled with my eyes squinted and said "okay", so you knew I've been studying this for so many years! If it weren't for the fact that Ethan is not easily hypnotized, I would even suspect that he was hypnotized by Seraphina, so he would cheat, ignore intellectual property rights, ignore my hard work, and help Seraphina steal my academic achievements! After Christmas, Seraphina became more and more arrogant.

Her WeChat Moments signature was prominently "Green, out of blue, but better than blue".

The content of her WeChat Moments was more inspirational than the last: "I've never seen Los Angeles at 5 a.m., but I've seen A City at 2 a.m. over 2000 nights."

"Interest is the best teacher, applied psychology is the major I determined in high school, and the field of hypnosis is my biggest interest. Although I'm not a graduate student or a Ph.D., practice makes perfect, I can do it!"

"Although I'm not a genius type of player, I believe in the power of diligence. If this paper passes, I decide to reward myself with a big meal, and then reward... a relationship. I've been single for many years, it's time to fall in love, otherwise, at this year's New Year, the aunts and grandmothers will start nagging again."... In order not to seem too deliberate, I liked a few posts, and even commented on one of them.

I said: "Seraphina, keep going! With your hard work, you will definitely have a place in the field of hypnosis in our country."

She replied: "Thank you, Teacher Aurora, interning at your office is the most important encounter in my life."

I replied with a smiley face, thinking: Indeed, it is the most important encounter in your life, otherwise, you wouldn't have met Ethan, wouldn't have become a mistress, wouldn't have gone down the wrong path, and wouldn't have instigated a man to steal my academic achievements.

On the same day, a QQ group where I've been lurking for years lit up—"I remember Seraphina's undergraduate thesis was copied and pasted, and she was criticized by the tutor after the thesis defense. What kind of paper is she writing now, to make up for the regret of her undergraduate graduation?" "Over 2000 2 a.m.? How dare she say that? During her four years of college, she was busy working, selling alcohol and chatting in bars every night!" "That's also 2 a.m., she's not wrong, and besides, chatting is also about understanding psychology, especially understanding men's psychology. The one upstairs, please don't look at the kid @Aurora sponsored back then with colored glasses."

"She is a typical people-pleaser, @Aurora, do you know what Seraphina is studying? Her tail has been up in the sky these days, and I feel like she's going to come and talk to me about becoming a senior partner any minute."

Christmas came quickly.

Ethan, as usual, brought a large bouquet of red roses to our office.

He said his colleague had a fight with his girlfriend and even had a physical fight with her ex-boyfriend. Now he was in the hospital, and the police were taking a statement, so he had to go and see.

I knew most of Ethan's colleagues who could be intimate enough to call him about such a thing.

I watched his back and called the private detective: "Where are you?"

Ethan left.

The private detective said he was following Seraphina, and then he gave me an address.

From where we were eating to where Seraphina was, considering the traffic on Christmas, it would take about 40 minutes by car. However, an hour had passed.

The private detective texted me that Ethan hadn't arrived yet.

I almost thought Ethan had a fourth woman, or perhaps, there really was a colleague in the hospital, but 20 minutes later, the private detective said Ethan had arrived... That night, I met a few friends at a bar and sat for a while. The noisy crowd was all around me, but all I could think about was the two of them.

At midnight, I returned home, and Ethan hadn't come back yet.

I walked into the study to turn on the computer, and before my hand even touched it, I knew why Ethan had taken twice as long to get to Seraphina's place after leaving the restaurant.

He had come back, and my computer had been tampered with.

Everyone has their own habits when using a computer. I have different degrees of nearsightedness in my left and right eyes, and my right eye has astigmatism, so when the computer is on the table, it has a slight tilt.

Ethan was too familiar with this house, so familiar that he forgot to pay attention to these details.

The computer usage traces had been cleared.

Apart from some cutting-edge academic materials on my computer, the most important thing is the paper I've been writing recently. It's something Seraphina can directly use.

Once a paper is published in an academic journal, it can be rated in the industry.

I don't want to use the most malicious intentions to speculate about Ethan and Seraphina, but I have to make the worst preparations in advance.

I've been preparing for that paper for a full three years, analyzing thousands of cases, and spending a lot of time and energy. It's only been a few months since I started writing it.

Ethan might be too infatuated with Seraphina's love, or he might think that the scams on the internet are too far away from him, and he hasn't paid any attention at all.

He looked at the J-dong on the cup, and he didn't have any awareness that his mother-in-law might have fallen into a scam. Instead, he looked at me embarrassedly: "Mom, this is not high-tech at all, it's just child's play! Don't be fooled by people, how much did you buy it for?"

"20 yuan." My mother-in-law said without any defense, then frowned, "How is this not high-tech? There was no pattern at all at first, but when you pour hot water, the pattern appears, and when the water cools down, the pattern disappears again. It just reminds me to drink hot water. We women, if we want to stay young, we must first warm our womb, and to warm our womb, we must drink hot water..." My mother-in-law said a lot.

Ethan heard the 20 yuan, and he was no longer as annoyed as before. I walked over and held his hand, and said very affirmatively to my mother-in-law: "I also think this cup is pretty good! Ethan, you can't say that just because it's been a while since it came out of the lab, it's not high-tech! I think this cup deserves 100 points, whether it's from a design perspective or from a human care perspective!" My mother-in-law agreed very much.

Ethan listened to my criticism, and not only was he not angry, but he also showed a gratified smile: "Yes, yes, yes, you are all right! Mom, buy me one next time! I also need to drink more hot water."

"Okay, I'll buy three more." My mother-in-law said, "One for each of you."

I was very keen to catch the "three", and asked in surprise, "Why three, who is the other one for?"

My mother-in-law's face flashed with unease, but she quickly answered, "For Ethan's dad."

I suspected that my mother-in-law not only knew about Seraphina's existence but also was happy about it. I didn't expose her, but instead considerately said, "Why not buy two more, otherwise Ethan's brother will say mom is playing favorites! Mom, did you pay with Alipay or WeChat, I'll transfer some pocket money to you."

My mother-in-law said it was WeChat, and I immediately.

My mother-in-law fell into a fake JD scam, and I actually hesitated whether or not to expose it. After all, I'm a good person, and I don't mind reminding even strangers. Unfortunately, many things in the world are predestined.

I took her shopping, took her to eat... That day, there was something going on at the company, I took her back to the company, asked her to wait for me... Then, I accidentally overheard her talking on the phone in the bathroom.

The deliberately lowered voice, separated by a thin partition, did she think others couldn't hear?

"Aurora is much more capable than Seraphina, her office is so grand! And your big house! I think she makes more money than Seraphina!" "You should just be with Aurora, and then have Seraphina give you a son, secretly raise him outside, it's not like you can't afford it."

"What? Divorce! You're crazy! If you want to divorce, how will the property be divided, I think you're confused!"

"Ah, really pregnant?... This needs to be celebrated! After waiting for so many years, finally have a descendant!"

"It should be rewarded! If you want a name, just give it! Aurora hasn't given birth to a fart in so many years!" "Let me tell you, I really like Aurora's office, when you divorce, divide it over! Isn't Seraphina also doing psychology? It's just right for her to use." "You guys figure out a way to make Aurora leave with nothing."

I sat on the toilet next to my mother-in-law's, listening to her almost finish talking before I went out.

Huh, leave with nothing... I almost laughed out loud, I want to see, in the end, who will leave with nothing.

I went to the pantry, got a few small snacks for my mother-in-law, and then made a cup of milk, and brought it to my office.

"Mom, I have about 40 minutes of work to do, you drink some milk, take a nap and wait for me. A half-hour nap every day is more effective than any skincare product!" As I spoke, I took out a thin quilt from the cabinet and put it on the hypnosis chair.

"This chair is so comfortable, I guarantee you'll fall asleep in less than five minutes! I sleep on it every day."

My mother-in-law obediently lay down... Unlike Ethan, she is easily hypnotized, I hardly had to make any effort, easily hypnotized her, and then asked a few questions.

"Sleep, have a good sleep, and when you wake up, you won't remember anything..." Looking at my mother-in-law sleeping soundly, looking at the bright daylight outside, the silent hustle and bustle of the city, I stood by the window with my coffee.

Huh, pregnant... No wonder the whole family is so accommodating... Ethan and I have been married for many years and have never had a child, not because we don't want one, but because his sperm survival rate is low... If we could conceive, it would be like winning the lottery.

But is the lottery really that easy to win?

In some adults' world, calculation is just part of it.

The dramatic events in my family outraged the proxy lawyer and the private detective, both of whom clenched their fists, seething with anger.

As I reflected on the whole process, from the moment I learned of Ethan's infidelity to Seraphina stealing my academic work, and then to my mother-in-law coveting my office and reminding them to make me leave with nothing, I seemed to have little anger.

Every step was taken with rational and detached calmness.

After many years as a psychologist and hypnotherapist, perhaps the biggest little monster in my heart is being too rational.

On January 4th, my mother-in-law spent the whole day on her own, without wanting anyone to accompany her, and she came home in the evening beaming.

On January 5th, I saw my mother-in-law watching a live stream; she quickly closed the video when she saw me watching, and I transferred her another 5,000 yuan.

"Mom, are you watching a live stream? I sometimes watch them too and even give tips."

On January 6th, my mother-in-law left. Before leaving, she pulled me aside and asked me to transfer another 5,000 yuan, but I gave her 10,000 instead.

She is now a VIP on that platform, and I hope she becomes a super VIP so that she gets "special care" there.

On January 10th, it was my birthday.

Ethan said he wanted a world for just the two of us, so we had a French meal and then went to a bar together.

We ordered a lot of drinks, spirits, and beer, and Ethan kept clinking glasses with me.

Half an hour later, I felt a bit dizzy, and he found an excuse to leave, abandoning me at the bar.

More than ten minutes later, a young man with a good figure and handsome face came over and sat next to me quite naturally: "Sis, drinking alone? Can I keep you company?"

I half-squinted at him for several seconds before nodding and asked him to get two sets of dice.

He was obedient, summoning the waiter to bring two sets of dice to the table.

The game was simple, guessing the numbers, with the loser drinking.

I leaned on the man, using his support, and hypnotized him with the dice... "You sorted it out so quickly? Still this capable even when drunk, impressive!" said the proxy lawyer.

He and the private detective sat across from me, bringing a girl who had a similar build to mine, dressed in the same clothes as me.

I gave a sideways glance at the proxy lawyer and the private detective, stood up, and swapped seats with the girl.

"It's all yours now," the girl gestured "OK" to me.

That night, I did not go home and made do with a night in a hotel.