Chapter 1

Right after accepting the proposal from Rio, the city's elite trust-fund heir, I stumbled across a viral forum thread.

"Idiot. She actually thinks I care about her personality. If she weren't gorgeous, why would I date a mute?"

"Once her looks fade, I'm dumping her."

The comment section was bashing him for being a total scumbag.

He ignored them completely and kept updating: "She loves me so much, she'll definitely be heartbroken when we break up. I'll transfer some cash to compensate her first."

"The Maybach I just bought is pretty nice. I'll give it to her so she doesn't have to squeeze onto public buses after the breakup."

"The new luxury villa I bought is nice. I'll give it to her so she isn't homeless after the breakup."

The comment section was completely dumbfounded.

Two years passed, and I ended up with countless luxury properties and cars under my name.

His latest forum post: "Damn it, why is she getting prettier and prettier?"

The comment section: "Bro, you two are literally married now, how is your mouth still this stubborn?"

1

Rio, the elite trust-fund heir of the city, had a mouth made of pure battery acid.

If anyone annoyed him, he would tear them apart with a few sharp words.

Yet, he spent six months pretending to be a sweet, devoted golden retriever just to woo me.

He even learned American Sign Language just so he could communicate with me.

When he confessed his feelings to me yet again, I built up the courage to sign back: "Why do you like me? I'm mute, and I'm an orphan. With your status, you deserve someone much better."

He smiled gently, his eyes filled with unwavering conviction. "Because you're sweet and kind. I care about what's on the inside."

Watching him clumsily move his fingers to sign those words, I was deeply moved and accepted his proposal to date.

2

Shortly after, I stumbled upon a viral forum thread while scrolling on my phone.

"Idiot. She actually thinks I care about her personality. If she weren't gorgeous, why would I date a mute?"

"Once her looks fade, I'm dumping her immediately."

My heart skipped a beat. I tapped into the thread.

The comment section was calling him out for being toxic.

"That's terrible."

"Holy hell, we found a real-life scumbag."

"Putting myself in the girl's shoes, this is devastating. She has a disability and thought she found true love, only to end up with a shallow jerk who's just using her for her looks."

"I'm begging you, dump her already. She deserves better, not a bottom-tier jerk like you."

The original poster skipped past all the insults and replied directly to the comment telling him to break up:

"Telling me to dump her so you can steal her, right? Don't think I don't know what you're up to, you filthy home-wrecker."

"I spent months acting like a sweet little puppy in front of her, forcing myself not to utter a single curse word, wearing those ridiculous soft-boy hoodies."

"I don't get why she likes the sweet puppy type. If she wants a dog, why doesn't she just buy a real one?"

"When she gets mad, she gives me the silent treatment, forcing me to swallow my pride and beg for forgiveness. I'm such an idiot, crawling back even when she ignores me."

"Once I dump her, I'm going back to being my true self."

The poster posted complaint after complaint. It was clear he had been holding in his resentment for a long time.

The comment section didn't hold back either: "Hilarious. You chose to pursue her, nobody forced you. What are you whining about now?"

"Seriously, she's so unlucky to run into a guy like you."

He replied furiously: "How is she unlucky? To chase her, I became her maid, her driver, and I destroyed my hands learning ASL, even though she can hear fine!"

"Dammit, ASL is so hard, my fingers are almost broken. I don't know how she deals with it every day, enduring so much malice from people."

The commenters subtly picked up on something strange.

"Wait, is he actually feeling sorry for her?"

"Hold on, ladies, something feels off about this guy..."

"Bro, why force yourself to learn ASL if she can hear you?"

He replied boastfully: "Because it shows sincerity! You have no idea how moved she was when she saw me signing. She even cried!"

"She is utterly obsessed with me. When I drop the breakup bomb, she'll probably pass out crying."

I looked at the familiar avatar and location tag.

I smiled.

Pass out crying?

Not likely.

3

I typed a comment under an alt account.

"OP, I support you. Once she isn't pretty anymore, dump her immediately."

He replied within seconds: "Watch your mouth, you jerk!"

I was speechless.

Could my comment be any worse than his battery-acid tongue?

I continued commenting: "I dated someone similar before. After breaking up, she stalked me relentlessly and even threatened to end her life."

He seemed startled and asked hurriedly: "How did you solve it?"

"I gave her a $300,000 breakup payout."

He replied: "Only $300k? You cheapskate. I'm transferring money to her right now."

The next second, my phone buzzed with a $300,000 wire transfer notification.

Then came a text from Rio: "Babe, you are my whole world. I'll love you forever."

Me: "Babe, thank you! You're so good to me. If you ever dump me, I'll never recover."

Rio: "Don't overthink, babe. I'm not that kind of guy."

Then he wired another $300,000.

Looking at my bank balance, my shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Idiot. Did he really think I was in this for love?

I was here for his money, of course.

Rio posted a screenshot of the transfer on the thread and made a point to reply to my comment.

"Bro, your advice worked."

Suppressing my excitement, I kept prompting him: "Next step, I suggest you dump her fast. Ideally within a month, or it gets harder to break off."

Once I made enough cash, who wanted to keep working as his girlfriend?

Unexpectedly, he ignored my comment completely and posted:

"The Maybach I bought is nice. I'll gift it to her so she doesn't have to take the bus after we split."

"The new mansion is nice too. I'll give it to her so she isn't homeless after the breakup."

I covered my mouth in shock.

Jackpot!

The comment section exploded with question marks.

"Are you pulling my leg?"

"Did I stumble into a billionaire's thread?"

"Wait, are you for real? Who are you backstabbing?"

"Ladies, this twist is hitting my poor nerves."

"I thought he was a shallow jerk, but he's a billionaire learning ASL and gifting mansions while totally oblivious that he's whipped!"

He replied: "You know nothing. I'm just pretending to be whipped. It's all part of my master plan."

Comments: "Your mouth is harder than tungsten steel."

"If you fell face first, your stubborn mouth would puncture the Earth."

"Sir, your mouth isn't soft at all."

"If you told us you were like this earlier, I wouldn't have insulted you. I'd call you hubby right now."

"Hubby, I'm mute too, and I'm very pretty."

"Me too! I'm not mute, but I'm gorgeous. Check your DMs."

"Hubby, I'm not picky. I don't want your mansion or Maybach, I just want to get dumped by you."

In an instant, the comment section shifted completely.

Women were calling him hubby and posting pretty selfies.

Dammit, so many competitors appeared out of nowhere.

Rio is a superficial playboy. What if someone steals him away?

My Maybach and mansion haven't even been transferred to my name yet.

Can everyone wait until I secure the assets before trying to steal him?

I was genuinely worried.

4

To my surprise, Rio blasted them directly: "Back off, all of you! I hate gold-digging home-wreckers the most. Blocked!"

The comment section fought back: "You call us gold-diggers, but did you ever think your girlfriend is in it for your money too? Why else did she accept your cash?"

"Exactly! Maybe the person telling you to transfer money in the comments IS your girlfriend's burner account!"

I froze.

Are netizens really this sharp nowadays?

What if Rio actually believes them?

While I was panicking...

Rio replied with his usual battery acid: "Shut your trash mouth. Your heart is filthy so you see filth everywhere. My babe is nothing like that!"

"Say another word and I'll flame you until you delete your account."

5

Actually, long before I met Rio, I had heard of his reputation.

He was an outright superficial playboy.

None of his relationships lasted past two months.

Once he broke up with someone, he would hand them a massive breakup payout.

A girl from my dorm used to date him, and when they split, he gave her a $100,000 payout.

I nearly died of jealousy back then.

Unexpectedly, that roommate refused the money, crying and threatening to jump off a roof to win him back.

Rio didn't even show his face. He turned around and flew to Europe with another girl.

Eventually, that roommate suffered a breakdown and dropped out of school.

Back then, I thought to myself: if it were me, I wouldn't throw a fit. I'd just ask for a bigger payout.

As a poor orphan who was mute, finding a job was extremely difficult.

Even if I found one, surviving in the workplace would be tough.

If I could somehow get a large sum of money, I'd be set for the rest of my life.

So, I spent a bit of money to track down his schedule and the places he frequented.

Then, I casually crossed paths with him.

To my surprise, he took the bait the very first time we met.

Turns out, attracting a shallow guy is easy. As long as you're gorgeous enough, you don't have to do anything and he'll come right over.

Now, besides cash, I unexpectedly scored a mansion and a car. I overachieved my goal.

Next, all I had to do was behave and wait for him to dump me.

6

Strangely enough, two months passed.

I waited every single day for Rio to drop the breakup bomb, but he showed no intention of breaking up.

I couldn't figure out what went wrong.

Did I get prettier again?

I walked over to the mirror and checked.

Not at all.

Lately, because of my senior thesis, I had been pulling all-nighters. Dark circles hung down to my cheeks, breakouts popped up everywhere, and my face was puffy.

I looked so rough I scared myself.

Right on cue, Rio sent a text message.

"Babe, let me take you out on the yacht this weekend, okay? I haven't seen you in two days, I miss you so much."

Here came my chance.

If I showed up looking like this, Rio would definitely dump me on the spot.

Sure enough, on the yacht...

The moment Rio saw me, the smile on his face froze.

Without a word, he stood up and left the lounge.

He left me standing there awkwardly, feeling at a loss.

His friend noticed and walked over to greet me.

Fearing the music was too loud for me to read lips, his friend spoke very slowly: "Rio is just tired. Sit here for a bit, I'll go check on him."

I was slightly dazed.

Every time Rio saw me in the past, he acted like an excited puppy seeing its owner, running over to hug and cuddle me.

Now...

See? Once a man loses interest in you, his disgust is undisguised.

I picked a spot to sit down, pulled out my phone, and opened his forum thread.

As expected, he updated.

He probably wanted to ask netizens how to dump me.

Opening it up, I was stunned.

He posted: "We didn't see each other for two days, why did she get even prettier?"

"My heart is pounding so fast looking at her. I want to hold her and kiss her senseless, but I'm afraid she'll get mad."

"Rookie mistake. I shouldn't have invited other people today."

I was completely baffled.

Does he have vision problems?!

I looked terrible today! Where did I get prettier?!

Comments: "Whipped into an idiot again, bro."

"Happily whipped, bro!"

"Whether you're a scumbag or romance-brained, I can tell."

"To be honest, I preferred your arrogant, rebellious attitude from before."

"Am I the only one curious about how gorgeous his girlfriend actually is? She turned him into a spinning top."

He shot back ruthlessly: "Who says I'm whipped? I'm stating facts! She did get prettier! Once her looks fade, I'm still going to dump her ruthlessly."

"With her temper, I can't tolerate her for long."

The comments exposed him without mercy: "Then dump her already! Two months passed, you didn't dump her, and you're even more obsessed! What should I say about you?"

He replied: "I know what I'm doing. Mind your own business."

Comments: "Your mouth is the toughest thing on your body. If you actually split, you'll be weeping."

"Who understands? I really want to see OP get hit in the face after a breakup."

"He'll definitely be crying like a boiling kettle while begging for her back, all while claiming he doesn't care."

"Hahaha, just thinking about it is hilarious."

"By the way, can someone track down his girlfriend and send this thread to her? Then SHE can dump him, hahaha."

Rio snapped: "Is it that funny? Believe it or not, I'll smash my head against a wall to show you!"

What the commenters didn't know was that guys like Rio, who fell hard and fast, dumped people the hardest.

The real victims were the slow-burn types who fell in love right before getting dumped.

So I kept reminding myself: I must never fall for him.

He approached me with motives, and I was milking his money with a clear conscience.

Maybe in another lifetime, if I reincarnate as a billionaire, I'll repay him.

7

Scrolling down to a comment, I paused.

"Stop romanticizing OP. He's just obsessed because he hasn't slept with her yet. Once a guy gets what he wants, he loses interest fast. No exceptions."

Is that true?

"Babe, what are you looking at?"

I didn't know when Rio had appeared behind me.

Startled, I hurriedly hid my phone behind my back.

"Want to watch a movie?"

I nodded.

Inside the dim, private screening room...

Rio slowly leaned closer, his voice raspy: "Stella, can I kiss you?"

I suddenly remembered that comment.

If doing this could make him dump me, it wouldn't hurt to try.

"Can I?"

Rio asked again, his ears turning red.

I bit my lip and nodded.

He immediately leaned in and kissed me.

His hot palm pressed against the back of my head, kissing me with urgent intensity.

It was as if he had been holding back for a long time.

At such close range, Rio's face looked even more refined.

Sharp brows, deep eyes, a high nose bridge.

Although he was a shallow guy, he was undeniably handsome.

With these looks, even male celebrities would pale in comparison.

No wonder my former roommate threatened to jump off a roof instead of breaking up with him.

I still remembered the first time I met him, I was completely stunned.

My roommate had described him as average-looking, humorous, and great at charming girls.

What I saw was a guy with striking looks and a mouth made of pure battery acid.

He once took me to meet his friends.

One girl mocked me covertly for being a mute on financial assistance, claiming I didn't deserve Rio, the city's elite heir.

Rio slammed his glass down and flamed her on the spot: "Who gave you permission to judge my girlfriend? What kind of trash are you?"

"You act tough around guys every day, but the moment a girl shows up, you reveal your toxic nature?"

"Are you going to get lost yourself, or stay and let me finish flaming you?"

The girl slunk away in embarrassment.

Turning around, meeting my startled eyes, his face instantly softened as he comforted me gently: "Babe, ignore her. She's a terrible person. You deserve me eight hundred times over."

"You're way out of my league."

It made me wonder if I had mistaken him for someone else.

After all, many people shared the same name.

It wasn't until I found his forum thread that I confirmed I hadn't mistaken him.

It was just playboy tactics.

They loved playing the devoted lover, but when the breakup arrived, you could jump off a building and it still wouldn't win them back.

8

Rio's kiss deepened, as if trying to swallow me whole.

After kissing for ten minutes, he finally released me, his eyes hazy and breath heavy: "Stella, it hurts... can we?"

"Don't worry, I haven't done this before. I'm clean."

I rolled my eyes internally.

He was practically living like a playboy, yet he claimed he hadn't done it before?

He could lie all he wanted, but did he think I'd buy it?

Still, this fit my goal.

Besides, I had been eyeing his physique for a while too.

I feigned bashfulness, lowering my head and signing: "Your friends are outside... they'll hear..."

"It's fine, I locked the door."

But...

My gaze shifted downward...

Looking at his impressive build...

I furrowed my brows in concern.

With our size difference, doing this might actually be the end of me.

As if sensing my hesitation, he patted his chest like an obedient puppy, promising firmly: "Don't be scared, I'll be gentle. If it's too much, tap my back and I'll stop, okay?"

9

I believed his trick.

When it became too much and I slammed my hands against his back frantically...

He acted like he had lost all feeling.

In the end, I had no choice but to kick him off the bed before he finally behaved.

Afterward, he knelt on one knee before me, helping me clean up while signing earnestly: "Babe, I'm sorry. When you tapped so fast, I thought you were praising me and telling me to go faster."

My face burned bright red hearing that.

I lifted my foot to kick him again.

He caught my ankle firmly.

Rio's throat bobbed: "If you don't believe me, let me show you again. I promise I won't do that this time."

Get lost!

His hidden motives were practically written on his face.

Wasn't he exhausted after so many rounds?

Whatever, I couldn't be bothered to argue with him.

I lay on the bed and fell into a heavy sleep.

In my half-dazed state, I felt him wrapping his arms around me, dropping his puppy act and speaking in a low, possessive tone: "Stella, you are mine. Mine for the rest of your life."

Where did this possessive ghost come from? Get away!

Scared, I sat straight up.

Thank goodness it was just a dream.

I thought after that night, he would lose interest in me completely.

To my absolute dismay, he became even more clingy.

I was in despair.

Why wasn't this guy following the playbook?!