God gave me a beautiful face and a wealthy life.

At the same time, He gave me the personality of a hopeless pushover and a simp.

In my previous life, I fawned over Gabert Yates, putting him first in everything. In the end, Gabert, my obsessive childhood friend, imprisoned me in a pitch-dark basement, kept me as his captive, and tortured me to death.

When I got a second chance, a few lines of floating comments suddenly appeared before my eyes.

[Chelsea Ziegler, remember this at all times! Simps end up with nothing!]

[Your childhood friend is a total masochist. Crybaby, don’t be scared. Scold him!]

[He’ll even give you his life if you insult him hard enough!]

I wiped away my tears as I tilted my head up and spoke to him in a soft, trembling voice, “Y-you’re just a shameful illegitimate child… a bastard!”

More comments popped up: [Yes, that’s more like it, but not harsh enough. Slap him!]

I stood on my tiptoes, stumbling a little as I tried to reach up and slap his face.

The “smack” was not loud, but it was crisp.

Gabert’s dark, unhinged gaze suddenly deepened.

Things seemed to be getting interesting…

Gabert Yates, the third son of the Yates family, became the general manager of his family's company at a young age. He was a rising star in the business world, basking in endless glory.

However, one day, a business rival exposed the truth. He was not his father's biological son but the illegitimate child of his mother and her childhood sweetheart. As a result, he was whipped 30 times by Mr. Yates Sr., then cast out of the family. Eventually, he became a stray with nowhere to go.

I was the girl next door and his childhood friend, always trailing behind him with tears shimmering in my eyes since we were kids. I was someone he had long been annoyed with.

I should have been the one to comfort him at his lowest point. I was supposed to be his savior.

However, the floating comments before my eyes would not allow that to happen.

[Stop crying. Crying won’t solve your childhood friend’s problems. You’re just being a jinx.]

My hands trembled as I held the medicine. “But Gabert is badly injured. It must hurt a lot…”

Gabert had delicate, handsome features. However, his eyes looked sharp and cautious, making him unapproachable.

Even on his knees, his back remained perfectly straight. His bare back was exposed. His muscles were sharply defined, but they were streaked with bloodstained wounds that looked terrifying.

A comment drifted by: [Crybaby, your childhood friend has a great body!]

Was that really the point?

I hesitated for a long time before finally stepping forward. As I moved, some of the hot water accidentally spilled, burning my hand and causing blisters. It was a terrible start, and I almost started crying again.

I walked up to him. “Gabert… Does it hurt?”

[Crybaby, be fiercer. Acting all teary will only make your childhood friend hate you more.]

Fine! I would be fierce!

Gritting my teeth, I splashed the hot medicated water straight onto him. Unfortunately, my hands were shaking, and I missed. Only a bit of hot water splashed onto his thigh.

Gabert’s expression darkened instantly. Before he could question me, tears were already shimmering in my eyes.

It was because the comments were scolding me.

[You’re so useless! You can’t even do something as simple as splashing hot water. How are you supposed to win your childhood friend’s heart?]

[Is it really that hard to act like a vicious heiress?]

[No wonder the male lead is annoyed with you. Who would like a girl who cries all the time?]

I lowered my head. “I’m sorry. I’ll become fiercer.”

[Do you even want your Gabert to fall for you? If you keep acting like a simp, you’ll only make the male lead hate you more.]

[You have to become a vicious heiress to win your crazy childhood friend’s heart.]

[Otherwise, once Gabert turns into a devil, he’ll make anyone he dislikes disappear, including you, crybaby.]

My heart trembled. In my previous life, it was because I kept acting like his devoted lapdog that Gabert locked me in a basement and tortured me miserably.

Thinking of that, my shoulders trembled with fear, and I quietly sobbed.

Seeing my tears, impatience crept up on Gabert’s face.

“Get lost!”

A cold, bloodthirsty aura radiated from him, frightening me so much I could not even move.

[Hurry and fix this! Remember, you’re a vicious heiress. Go and kick him. Kick him hard a few times!]

[Do you still want to change your fate? If you do, then do it!]

The comments kept urging me on.

Without thinking, I lifted my right foot and kicked. My foot landed on the inner part of his thigh.

[Didn’t you eat? Put some strength into it!]

[Just stepping on him isn’t enough. Step harder and curse him too!]

[Crush him! Ruin him! Indulge in this game with him!]

The comments’ suggestions were not very proper. Gritting my teeth, I pressed my toe down and ground it against his thigh.

Gabert’s expression turned unreadable. His fists clenched tightly, yet he did not push me away. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and the corners of his eyes were red as he stared at me.

[Tsk, not bad, crybaby. Keep going. Insult him!]

I muttered, “I was being nice and caring, yet you yelled at me! You’re not Mr. Yates Sr.’s biological son, so you’re not my fiancé anymore. You don’t have the right to yell at me!

“If you behave and listen to me from now on, I… I might take pity on you and not have my dad cancel the engagement.”

Gabert’s eyes grew darker.

[Crybaby! You call that a kick? Even a mosquito hits harder than that!]

[You call that a threat? That’s basically acting cute, okay? The male lead is a masochist. Why can’t you be harsher?]

The comments began to mock me mercilessly.

My eyes reddened with grievance, and I forced myself to hold it in. I did not want to cry in front of him.

Not knowing what else to do, I quietly moved my foot away. Unexpectedly, his large hand grabbed my ankle. His voice was hoarse. “Chelsea Ziegler, harder.”

I had no choice but to kick harder again, though I could not help thinking that Gabert seemed angry. His ears were flaming red.

“Am I being too mean?” I muttered softly to the commenters.

[Oh no… Don’t tell me he’s feeling something?]

Feeling what?

I was confused. Was it pain?

Gabert stared at me coldly. His gaze was dangerously intense.

“Chelsea, do you know what you’re doing?”

That look made me recall the days in my previous life when he imprisoned me in that dark basement. Fear hit me instantly.

I started sobbing and apologizing, trying to pull my foot back.

However, instead of letting go, he rubbed my ankle with his palm. The heat of his hand was scorching. My whole body trembled, and I was caught off guard. I fell to the ground. The tears I had been holding back rolled down my cheeks all at once.

He lifted his chin slightly, looking down at me. “It won’t be as simple as a fall next time you come bother me.”

I was too scared to look up. I even gently patted the spot I had stepped on earlier.

“Hmph, I’m not afraid of you. You… You’re just a stray dog now…”

However, my hand touched something hard. Did he keep a gun in his pocket?

I quickly pulled my hand back. “Let go of me.”

He did not.

For the first time, an unnatural flush appeared on Gabert’s face. He gripped my wrist even tighter, forcing me to meet his deep, shadowed gaze.

“Chelsea, where are you touching me?”

I shook my head frantically. “I didn’t… I didn’t know!”

He took a deep breath, then snapped. “Get lost.”

His chilling tone made my legs go weak. I scrambled away as fast as I could the moment he let go.

Back in my room, I could not wait to ask the commenters, “How did I perform this time? I splashed hot water on him and even kicked him. Does that count as being a vicious heiress?”

The comments fell silent in exasperation.

[Crybaby, you clearly don't get what ‘vicious’ means.]

[You’re supposed to lock him up, whip him, and humiliate him!]

I was utterly speechless. I did not know how to do any of that. What should I do?

[Forget it. Just wait for our instructions when the time comes.]

Gabert was covered in wounds the day he was cast out, without even a single coat. The only thing he took with him was the pendant his mother had left him.

I had thought he would leave right away, but instead, he asked a maid, “Where’s Chelsea?”

The maid replied sternly, “Gabert, you’re no longer Ms. Ziegler’s fiancé. Why should I inform you of her schedule?"

A flicker of frustration passed through Gabert’s eyes as he let out a sneer. “I’m just glad the engagement with that crybaby is over. From now on, I have nothing to do with the Yates and Ziegler families.”

Hearing this from the corner where I was hiding, my heart trembled.

In my previous life, after Gabert turned evil, it took him only five years to forcibly acquire both the Yates and Ziegler families’ companies, becoming a powerful figure who could shake the entire capital overnight.

Then, he took revenge like a madman. My parents, who had always loved me, and even Mr. Yates’s family, were victims of him. The two great families perished.

Now that I had been reborn, I had to stop that tragedy. I wanted to save my family, my friends, and myself.

[Little crybaby, stop shaking. Now’s your chance. Grab a stick and go! Knock him out, lock him up, and torture him!]

The comments kept urging me to carry out their instructions.

This time, I convinced myself and rushed over. With all my strength, I struck the back of his head.

As expected, he collapsed.

The comments even praised me:

[I didn’t expect our little crybaby, Chelsea, to be this strong.]

[Yeah, yeah. It’s because we taught her well.]

Following their instructions, I dragged him towards the small dark shed in the backyard, muttering words of apologies, “I’m sorry, Gabert… that must have hurt.”

He was even thinner than I had imagined. His jawline was perfectly angled, like a work of art.

If someone asked why I had fallen for him in both lives, I could only give an answer that would sound shallow-minded. Every part of him was to my taste.

His face… and even his body.

After struggling with all my might to drag him into the shed, I tried to straighten his handsome face but accidentally let him lean against my chest.

Well, he was unconscious. He would not know.

I tried to ignore the heat of his breath against my skin. After settling him down, I suddenly exclaimed, “Is Gabert having a fever?”

Why was his face so red?

The comments grew suspicious:

[Is he really unconscious?]

“Of course, he is!” I whispered with affirmation.

[Hurry up and tie him up first, just like he tied you up in your last life.]

“Okay.”

I first locked an iron collar around his neck, then shackled his hands and feet. Gabert did not react at all, completely unaware that I had already removed his clothes.

The comments said that in this story’s setting, the male lead would only fall for a vicious heiress.

In that case, all I had to do was become one.

[Splash cold water on him to wake him up later, then whip him until he kneels and begs for mercy, got it?]

[Then, step on his face and make him admit he is your dog, understand?]

I was taken aback. However, I nodded. I had been given a second chance, and this time, my role was a vicious heiress. I could do it!

Gritting my teeth, I picked up the basin of cold water. However, when I turned around, I saw that Gabert was already sitting up, though the ropes still bound him. He stared at me coldly. “What are you trying to do?”

Without thinking, I blurted out, “I was going to splash water on you to wake you up.”

Something felt off. When I looked up, I felt pressure in his gaze.

Startled, I stepped back and slipped. The basin tipped, and the cold water poured all over me. I was soaked through. My shirt was clinging tightly to my body. It was cold. It was really cold. I could not help shivering.

He tugged at the chains, trying to move towards me. However, he was firmly restrained.

His deep gaze fixed on me. “Chelsea, what kind of trick are you playing now?”

Seeing how miserable I looked, the commenters got angry.

[How could you mess this up, too? You’re the most difficult heiress I’ve ever tried to teach!]

[You’re so timid about everything, tripping wherever you go. Are you stupid?]

[He’s already tied up. What are you afraid of? Do you still want revenge or not?]

I muttered, “He’s awake now… If I splash the water, it’ll get into his eyes. That would really hurt.”

[Forget it. Don’t splash him. Just say this—"Gabert, you’re nothing now. I’ll give you a chance to be my dog."]

“Okay.”

Wrapping my arms around myself to keep myself warm, I tried to sound vicious. “Gabert, I can give you anything as long as you become my dog.”

My reddened eyes made me look like a little rabbit when I said that.

I looked like an easy target to bully.

The comments were baffled.

[Chelsea, why does everything you say make you sound like a simp?]

However, Gabert showed no sign of anger. Instead, the hostility he had just shown faded, and his gaze grew darker. “Chelsea… will you give me anything if I become your dog, including yourself?”