I immediately burst into tears when I heard his familiar voice.

I cried and told him about what had happened to me recently. However, he interrupted me impatiently.

“Eleanor, why are you telling me all this?”

He sneered and said, “Your mother died. Your father is as good as dead. Your company has filed for bankruptcy!

“Have you ever considered that maybe this is your own fault?

“Maybe you’re a jinx! You’ve cursed them!”

I could not speak at all through my sobs.

However, Oliver continued, “Look at you now!

“I can’t even stand your disgusting face. Let’s break up.

“You bring bad luck to your own family! I’m afraid that I might end up dead if I continue to date you.”

After that, he hung up and blocked my number and accounts.

I felt a little helpless. I intuitively felt that something was wrong, however, I did not know what it actually was.

It was not until I video-called Bella that something dawned on me.

Her face, usually covered in pimple scars, appeared smooth.

She covered her mouth shyly. “Eleanor, what did you do to yourself?

“Look at me! A woman has to know how to take care of herself.”

As she spoke, I noticed someone walking behind her.

It was her parents who were supposed to be bedridden at the hospital. I stared at them as I asked anxiously, “Have your parents been discharged from the hospital?”

Bella looked furious. She said indignantly, “Eleanor, what’s that supposed to mean?

“Are you hoping for them to die in the hospital instead?

“Why are you so cruel? It’s no wonder your mother’s dead and your father’s paralyzed! Serves you right!”

Her harsh words stung me. Before I could react, she hung up.

I felt frozen. I felt stiff and awkward as I put my phone away.

I crossed the road in a daze and got hit by a car.

The two of them quickly announced their engagement after my death. Bella even flaunted her wealth on social media.

“Eleanor? Let’s pay and go!

“Aren’t you done yet?”

I heard Oliver’s voice. It was only then that I realized I was still stuffing food into my mouth.

Both of them stared at me in confusion. “If you’re still hungry, maybe we can order more for you.”

I smiled awkwardly and wiped my mouth. “That’s alright. I’m full.”

After we paid for the meal, Bella wanted to go home. Oliver looked at me hesitantly.

“How about I drop you off at your company first before dropping your best friend home?”

He deliberately emphasized that Bella was my best friend. He knew that I would definitely let him drop Bella home first.

I nodded. “You should head home after you drop Bella home.

“I’m going to the office to handle a few things. I already called the driver while we were eating.”

When he heard that, Oliver grabbed my hand reluctantly. He leaned in to give me a peck. “Alright. I was hoping we could have dinner together tonight.”

He looked reluctant to leave me, but the flicker of triumph in his eyes did not escape me.

“Let’s go on a date in a few days when I’m finally free.”

Just then, my ride arrived, and I got into the car.

“Bella, I’m heading out.

“Oliver’ll drop you home. Don’t worry.”

The moment the car window rolled shut, Bella grabbed Oliver’s hand intimately.

The driver passed me an unopened box of a polaroid camera. “Ms. Smith, I got the thing you wanted.”

I looked at the two identical polaroid cameras and smiled.

“Let’s go to the zoo.”

I wanted to walk around and use the camera Bella had given me.

After I reached the zoo, I headed straight to the monkey enclosure.

I excitedly took a few photos.

Then, I saw a bear and some boars.

I took some photos of them too.

Just when I was about to leave, Bella sent me a text.

[Eleanor, did you use the camera yet? Did you take any photos?]

[I did. The camera is quite good!]

She immediately sent me a voice recording.

“It’s great that you like it! You can take your parents’ photos with it too!”

At the end of the voice recording, I could hear a man’s heavy breathing.

It seemed like the two of them were getting impatient. I held the three polaroid photos in my hand.

The animals in them looked so lively, it was as if they might leap out at any second.

“Time to head back to the office.”

Even though I had returned to the past, I was traumatized by what had happened to me in my previous life.

First, I arranged a full-body check-up for my parents and hired a maid.

My mother was a little unhappy. “Why are you spending all this money?

“You don’t think I can handle it?”

“No, I just want you to be healthy, Mom.”

After I took care of my parents, I immediately checked through the project agreements to look for any potential issues.

I did not sleep for a whole night.

I made sure that none of the agreements had any issues.

The hospital also updated me on my parents’ health. They were very healthy for their age.

I felt relieved when I saw the two health reports.

Finally, I could get a good night’s sleep.

However, when I woke up, I saw a few dozen missed calls.

Some were from Bella, and others were from Oliver.

They had also sent me a lot of text messages.

Bella said that her father’s condition had worsened, and he was in the operating room. She needed money urgently.

Oliver texted to tell me that Bella was looking for me, and he hoped that I could return her calls quickly.

I took my time to return Bella’s calls. When the call connected, I heard Bella’s voice on the other end.

She sounded like she had been crying. “Eleanor, where are you?

“I haven’t been able to reach you! I’m so scared!”

I said, “I just woke up. What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

She took a deep breath. “Can you come to the hospital?

“I really need you!”

In the past, I would have dropped everything and gone to her.

However, things were no longer the same. I smiled. “Alright, I’ll come right away after I finish my work.”

I only finished working late at night.

When I rushed to the hospital, her father’s surgery was already over.

She saw me and said mockingly, “What a hardworking CEO!”

I rushed over and hugged her as I said apologetically, “There was an agreement that has an issue at the office.

“That’s why I couldn’t get away. I’m so sorry.”

Her eyes lit up for a moment, and her voice sounded hopeful. “Really?”

She must have realized that she sounded weird because she composed herself and rephrased her words.

“How’s it now?

“Did you manage to solve it?”

I shook my head helplessly. “Not yet.

“Anyway, how’s your father?”

Bella frowned. “The doctor said it’s nothing too serious. But he needs to be hospitalized to be observed.

“I think my parents will be discharged very soon.”

Her gaze flitted at me, with a hint of something like contempt.

I sighed and said, “That’s good.”

But deep down, I knew things were not going the way she wanted.

I spent the next week at work and refused to meet Oliver.

He was happy about it, as he kept meeting up with Bella.

Then, Bella posted something on social media. Even though she deleted it immediately, I still managed to see it.

[Help! What should I do if my family starts growing fur?]

She had even attached a photo of her parents.

I felt like it was time to visit the hospital again.

It was 10 a.m. when I reached, and the hospital was just starting to get busy.

I had informed Bella that I was coming to visit that morning, so she was waiting for me at the entrance.

“Hi, Eleanor, showing up empty-handed?”

She stared at me in annoyance. I smiled awkwardly.

“I did prepare something, but I forgot it in the office. I’ll bring it over on my next visit.”

She looked pleased after that.

I followed her into the hospital ward. It was only then that I noticed the two people on the hospital beds. They looked very different.

Her father was very skinny and resembled a monkey.

He kept scratching his head, and his body hair had turned yellow.

It was only noticeable when I got closer.

Her mother looked even funnier. Her nostrils had gotten very big.

She was covered in a thick coat of brown fur.

Bella looked a little embarrassed when I stared at them.

“The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with them. They examined them, but they couldn’t find anything wrong.

“My father’s so skinny now, but my mother has gained a lot of weight.”

In the next second, she seemed to realize something.

She looked at me anxiously. “Did something happen to your parents recently?”

I nodded.

“They keep complaining about headaches. My father has lost weight, too.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “It’s good that it’s not so serious.”

After that, she turned around and gave her parents some water. I looked at her back. I could not help noticing that, despite her slim face, she had gained a noticeable amount of weight overall. The word “bear” popped into my head, and I had to stifle a laugh.

Bella stared at me in confusion. Her hand involuntarily went to her face.

“What’s wrong?”

I immediately shook my head. “Nothing. I just feel like your skin looks better.”

She smiled happily and then stared at my face for a very long time. Then, she mumbled a little unhappily, “Why hasn’t your face changed at all?

“Oh, Eleanor, last time I told you to take pictures of your parents. Where are the pictures? Show me!”

I pulled out the polaroid films from my bag a little awkwardly. “Oh, I couldn’t find the time! I had some urgent matters to deal with, so I haven’t been home much.

“But I did go to a zoo a few days ago and got to use the camera! I took some photos there. Look!”

She snatched the photos from my hand and was furious as she looked at the photos of the animals.

She was trembling.

“You! Are you insane?!

“Why did you take photos of these animals with the camera I gave you?

“Go back home, immediately take a photo of your family, and show it to me!”