I beat the drum and turned the loudspeaker volume all the way up.

"My husband is donating a kidney to save a stranger!" I shouted. "What a great guy!"

Since Gideon wanted to play the saint, I figured I should help him out.

The commotion drew a crowd instantly.

Women from the neighborhood gathered around me. "Is your husband really going to donate a kidney to a stranger?"

I smiled. "Of course! Gideon's just too kind!"

They looked at me with pity.

Losing a kidney for no reason was a permanent blow. Even a perfectly healthy person wouldn't be able to make a full recovery from that.

One of the ladies, Mrs. Lawson, looked me over carefully and asked with concern, "Has your husband lost his mind? Why didn't you stop him? How do you expect to build a life together like this? You don't even have kids yet."

Kids?

Having a child for Gideon was the biggest mistake I made in my previous life.

During my postpartum recovery, I noticed my baby was missing, and only then did I find out that he had given our baby away. I was so furious that I smashed the door.

But Gideon scolded me for being petty. "It's just a baby. You can have another! That family really wanted a kid. Can't you be more understanding?"

In the end, I learned that the family was involved in human trafficking, but Gideon didn't care. He even laughed.

"They must have been desperate to resort to human trafficking. Who would have thought that the baby would end up making them money? Not bad at all. At least giving birth to him wasn't a total waste of your time."

Was that how a normal person would think?

I pushed those painful memories aside.

My phone had been buzzing for a while. Gideon had sent countless messages, asking me to come home.

"What are you telling people? That homeless guy is so pitiful. Just donate your kidney instead."

Since I hadn't responded, he called me several times.

I smiled and turned off my phone.

"Mrs. Lawson, how could you say that? Gideon's just too kind! In fact, the TV station wants to interview him!"

A group of people appeared in the distance, making their way toward us with camera equipment in hand.

The buzz of conversation filled the air as they approached.

I couldn't help but grin at the speed of their response.

A reporter recognized me at once. "You must be Mrs. Huber, right? We're from the TV station. We're here to interview your husband."

I welcomed them with a bright smile and invited them into my house.

As soon as Gideon saw me return, he rushed over. "Just listen to me. Donate your kidney."

What a joke.

The reporters set up and aimed the camera at us.

"Mr. Huber," one of them said, "we heard you're donating a kidney to a complete stranger suffering from kidney failure."

Only then did Gideon realize the TV crew had arrived.

Gideon was at a loss, stammering and looking incredibly uncomfortable. He tried to avoid the camera, but I pulled him back into view.

"Honey, why are you so shy?" I asked. Then, I turned to the reporters and said, "My husband says if he can help others, he'd be happy to do it."

Forced to face the camera, Gideon put on a stiff smile.

Once he had composed himself, as if suddenly remembering his script, he began to put on a show of righteous indignation.

"I will donate my kidney to him if I'm a match. He's just too pitiful! I'll be getting tested with my wife. More options mean more hope!"

I could see right through him.

He didn't want to donate his kidney. He just wanted a good reputation.

With a little manipulation, he could claim my kidney was a better match and get away with it, all while looking like a hero.

This was exactly how it played out last time.

I wouldn't let him win like that again.

I didn't call him out. I simply allowed him to continue his performance.

With the reporter showering him with praise, Gideon started to relax, becoming more comfortable in front of the camera. He went back to playing the role of a good guy.

"People should be willing to help those in need. In the future, I plan to give this house to a homeless person who has nowhere to go."

I couldn't help but scoff inside. This house was mine, yet he spoke as though it were his to give away.

The reporter, thinking we were some wealthy family, teased him, "Mr. Huber, you must be rolling in money if you're casually giving away a house like this."

But Gideon, eager to highlight his holiness and selflessness, shocked everyone again.

"Not really. We only have this one house. But even if we end up on the streets, we must still help those in need!"

The reporter looked at Gideon with a strange expression and glanced at me with sympathy.

"Mr. Huber, you really are… quite the saint."

I nodded along, supporting everything Gideon said.

Gideon's story went viral. The fact that he selflessly donated a kidney to a stranger made people believe there were still good people in the world.

In an instant, everyone praised his virtue.

Gideon was on a roll, receiving praise from all sides.

I couldn't help but laugh. This was perfect. The higher he climbed, the harder he'd fall.

Gideon turned out to be a perfect donor match. On the way home, I couldn't stop smiling.

"Looks like Heaven saw your sincerity and chose you. You're doing such a good deed!"

Gideon didn't catch the sarcasm in my voice. His spirit had completely hit rock bottom.

He wanted to do good, but not at the cost of losing anything of his own. Helping others with no pain or sacrifice was the kind of help he preferred.

Regret was already creeping in.

He never expected that my results would come back as a mismatch, while he'd end up having to sacrifice his own kidney.

In my previous life, my kidney hadn't been a match either. Gideon had simply swapped our test results to save himself.

In the end, the patient died from organ rejection.

This time, under my watch, he wouldn't have the chance to play those games.

Gideon's expression shifted into a fawning look as he said gently, "Kenzie, maybe your parents could get tested too. That way, we could help even more people."

It was clear that Gideon just wanted someone else to take his place in donating a kidney.

With a smile, I told him my parents were out of the country and that he should just focus on donating his kidney.

Patting his pale face, I grinned. "The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. Aren't you excited? You're about to save someone's life!"

His expression immediately darkened. "Why is it so soon?"

"Don't you want the patient to recover as quickly as possible?" I asked in confusion.

"I… do. Of course I do."

At a loss for words, Gideon forced a bitter smile.

But this was nothing compared to what he had done. His selfishness had cost a life in the past.

Now, it was just karma catching up with him.

The surgery went smoothly.

The patient's family brought over 20 thousand dollars, some supplements, and fruit to thank Gideon for his selfless donation.

I accepted everything without hesitation.

"Gideon's just too kind. If you ever need his help again, don't hesitate to ask. He'll donate blood, corneas, even a heart if needed! He can't go a day without helping someone."

As I returned to Gideon's shared hospital room, I was about to open the door when I heard a mechanical sound.

It was the sound I had been waiting for all this time.

"Congratulations on successfully helping others complete a righteous task. You've earned a reward of one million dollars. You can withdraw the money once your total reaches five million dollars!"

Meanwhile, Gideon, pale as a ghost, furrowed his brow. He was probably wondering why he hadn't received any notifications from the system.

I bet he hadn't accumulated five million dollars yet, or he wouldn't be working so hard at "helping others".

In my previous life, he earned one million dollars for each person he helped.

Unfortunately for him, after I was reborn, the system was bound to me.

I couldn't help but smile. After I entered the room, I took his bank card straight out of his wallet.

"Come on. Helping just one person isn't enough. You should donate the money in your bank account too. That way, even more people can truly recover."

I slipped the card into my pocket.

"No, that money isn't…" Gideon was so weak that even speaking had become an agonizing chore.

I set a bowl on the table. The broth inside was so thin it was basically just tinted water.

"Honey, eat up," I said with a smile. "You'll need the energy to recover!"

He sighed. "I want some barbecue ribs. I can't eat this."

"Honey, did you forget? This money is no longer yours. I'm donating it, so there won't be any left to buy ribs."

His eyes lingered on the fruit basket I had brought in, and he swallowed. "Then can you peel an apple for me?"

"Of course!"

I peeled six apples and shared them with the other patients in the room and next door.

Gideon waited for what felt like an eternity for me to feed him. Losing his patience, he demanded to know why it was taking me so long to finish peeling a single apple.

"I peeled everything. I already gave them to the other patients. You're so kind. I'm sure you won't mind sharing, right?"