After hearing me out, Shaun's expression became solemn, and he asked if I had a solution.

I nodded. "Kind of. But I still need your help."

Shaun, as loyal as ever, immediately patted his chest and said, "Just say the word."

I already had a rough idea of how Leon's exchange system worked. However, just to be safe, the moment I was discharged from the hospital, I mortgaged all my assets overnight and took out a ten-million-dollar loan for investment.

I split all of my money into two portions—one portion I had Shaun invest in declining industries on my behalf, while I used the remaining portion to invest in booming industries, just as I had in my past life.

The following day, Leon somehow caught wind of the news regarding my investments. After seeing the amount I had invested, he immediately asked Gemma for tens of millions of dollars and began investing with absolute confidence.

Half a month later, just as I expected, the booming industries I had invested in crashed again, and I took another loss.

Meanwhile, the declining industries Leon had invested in failed to gain any traction, and his investment similarly went down the drain. The company's shareholders were furious and vocal in their complaints, and it took Gemma's personal intervention to quell the matter.

With the results of my experiment confirmed, I happily invited Shaun out for drinks. At last, all the pent-up frustration I had been carrying came loose that night. I went home tipsy, only to find Gemma, who hadn't been home in ages, waiting for me on the couch.

Upon noticing me return home reeking of alcohol, a look of disgust crossed her face as she interrogated me. "Why on earth did you go drinking? Thanks to you, I—"

Before she could finish, she abruptly stopped herself. The very next second, she did something utterly out of character and came over to support me.

"Never mind. Since you're in a bad mood, I won't hold it against you, but you aren't allowed to drink next time. It's bad for your health."

Gemma had practically wished I would live at the dinner table to negotiate deals for her, and she never cared about my health. Yet, she was acting completely differently that day. Her unusual attentiveness made me wary, so I played along and pretended to be drunk to see what she was really up to.

Perhaps she assumed I was truly drunk, for she let her guard down completely and headed into the kitchen to call Leon.

"Are you sure this will work, Leo? I made him drink an entire pot the last time… Fine, as long as you're sure. Don't worry, once I coax him a little, he'll be as obedient as a dog.

"There, there, dry your tears. I'm doing this for you, aren't I? Once he drinks it, you can go ahead and do whatever you want…"

I smiled wryly. So, she knew everything all along. Not only that, she was in on it.

At that moment, the last shred of hope in my heart died, and I finally came to terms with the fact that the eight years I had spent with her had been nothing but a long, absurd dream.

Gemma emerged from the kitchen with a cup of freshly brewed tea and told me it was a hangover remedy she had made for me. Then she told me to drink it and said she had specifically come back tonight to spend time with me.

I gazed at her trembling lashes while she lied through her teeth and chuckled. "In that case, why don't you take a shower first? I promise I'll drink it once you're done."

Gemma didn't suspect a thing and went straight into the bathroom. The moment I heard the sound of running water, I hastily grabbed the tea, made my way out, and poured it into the garbage pile outside the villa.

As I watched a few bold rats gather around and lick at the brown liquid, a faint sense of anticipation rose within me.

I wondered if Leon would realize that he had begun exchanging with a few rats.