Chapter 1

One weekend, my girlfriend Jolene asked me to help feed her childhood sweetheart's dog.

But when I arrived with the dog food, the massive pit bull immediately pounced on me, viciously tearing at my flesh.

Luckily, a neighbor rescued me from the dog's jaws, but my face was left with permanent, disfiguring scars.

I was emotionally shattered, yet Jolene berated me:

"You must have fed it wrong and made it angry. You only ruined your looks, but Bella lost her life!"

Finally, the overwhelming stress drove me to jump from a high-rise.

After my death, I saw Jolene embracing her childhood sweetheart:

"Darling, you're so clever. Starving Bella for a few days beforehand worked perfectly. Now that he's dead, we can finally be together."

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Jolene asked me to feed the dog.

————————

1

"Chase, don't forget to go help Fintan feed the dog today."

Jolene's voice came through the phone, and I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.

I stood there frozen, looking at the scene before me in disbelief.

The lively music of Yoga Rave drifted in from outside, the very tune the neighborhood ladies loved to dance to in the mornings.

I rushed to the mirror, my face smooth as new, without a single scar.

I finally realized, I had been reborn!

"Chase, Chase, are you still listening?"

Jolene raised her voice on the other end when I didn't respond.

"I'm not feeling well today, so I can't go feed the dog. Tell him to figure something out on his own," I said.

Hearing this, Jolene immediately became a bit upset: "How can that work? Fintan had to go on a business trip, and if you don't go, poor Bella will starve."

"Don't you usually love feeding stray cats on the street? How come you won't even agree to feed a dog now?"

I let out a cold laugh: "I was bitten by a dog when I was little. I'm afraid of dogs. I can't go today. Tell him to find someone else online to come feed the dog." "No way, Fintan has valuable items at home. How can we trust strangers to enter? You're my boyfriend, how can you not even help me with something as small as feeding my friend's dog?"

Seeing how adamant I was, Jolene quickly softened her tone: "Since you're not feeling well, just rest at home. I'll bring the dog to your place, and you can look after it for a few days. I'll pay you the market rate. How's that?"

My heart, which had just settled, instantly jumped again.

I'm currently living with my parents. If that vicious dog is brought to our doorstep, I'm afraid all three of us might meet an untimely end!

Damn Jolene, I really want to dig out her heart and see what color it is!

I forced a chuckle: "Forget it, forget it. Aren't you going back to your hometown with your dad to visit your grandma? I'll just do this favor for you. Don't talk about money, it makes us sound so distant."

Jolene laughed too: "I'll thank you on Fintan's behalf. When he returns, I'll have him treat you to a meal."

After hanging up, I sat down clutching my chest, breathing heavily.

It's the weekend now. My parents, as usual, have gone out to play mahjong with relatives. On the floor are still gifts from relatives sent during Thanksgiving. It's been so long, and we still haven't finished them all, there's so much left. Looking at those items, I had an idea in mind.

I drove to Jolene's apartment building.

I brought two cases of vodka and a box of seafood from home, and knocked on their front door.

Only Jolene's mom was left at home. Because she had a poor relationship with her in-laws when she was young, she never went back to their hometown to visit them.

Perhaps for this very reason, after years of being a daughter-in-law and becoming a mother-in-law herself, she found fault with everything about me.

She complained that my job was unstable, and that I was poor without a big house or a luxury car.

"My daughter hasn't decided to marry you yet. It's not appropriate for you to show up with gifts. Take them back."

I smiled and said, "Auntie, regardless of whether Jolene and I can get married or not, you are still my elder. How can I take back gifts meant for an elder?"

"If these items don't suit your taste, I can accompany you to go out and choose whatever you like."

My expression was sincere, without a trace of displeasure. It's hard to argue with a smiling face, so she couldn't say much more.

Now hearing that I was willing to go out and buy whatever she wanted, she hesitated slightly before allowing me to take her out.