In my eighth year working in a top-secret unit, someone in my high school class group suddenly started tagging me nonstop.

“Ethan Cole, what’s this? You’re not coming to Victor’s wedding?”

I scrolled through the messages and realized that Victor Hale, my high school class monitor, was getting married today.

All my former classmates were attending.

“Sorry, my unit doesn’t grant leave.”

I explained earnestly, but my reply only triggered a storm of mockery.

“What kind of lousy company doesn’t give vacation time?”

“No need to guess. He must be at some shady little firm. Embarrassed to show his face.”

Then Victor himself tagged me: “Remember when I bet you I’d surpass you one day?”

I answered honestly: “I don’t remember.”

That only fanned the flames.

“Victor married Eastbridge’s wealthiest woman. Now he’s truly the richest man’s husband!”

“What’s wrong? Too broke to handle the comparison, so you pretend you forgot?”

“Don’t tell me you can’t even afford a wedding gift? Should we start a crowdfunding drive for you?”

While the jabs flew, Victor tagged me again, pretending to play nice:

“I hope you can come to my wedding and share in my joy!”

“Since we’re classmates, I’ll even find you a security job.”

Right after that, he posted a wedding photo of himself and his bride.

When I saw the woman in the picture, I froze. Wasn’t that my wife, Vivienne Shaw—the very woman who begged me to marry her three years ago?

“Alright, I’ll definitely come witness your happy moment.”

——

No sooner had I replied than Vivienne sent me a message:

“Honey, don’t overwork yourself. Remember to come home after your vacation.”

“I miss you every single day.”

Because of the nature of my work, I rarely had contact with the outside world. Even after marrying, Vivienne and I seldom spent time together. Still, she often sent me tender messages filled with longing.

I always believed she loved me deeply.

Thinking back now, what a joke.

I requested leave from my superior. Using the wedding location Victor had shared in the chat, I drove there in the official vehicle my boss approved.

From afar, I spotted a massive red banner at the entrance:

“Congratulations to Ms. Vivienne, President of Crownrise Corporation, on your wedding!”

Beneath the banner, Victor, dressed in an expensive suit, stood proudly awaiting his bride, surrounded by old classmates.

“Victor, you’ve kept this hidden too well. Only now do we learn your wife is actually Eastbridge’s richest woman!”

“Exactly. I’ve heard President Shaw isn’t just wealthy—she’s powerful. Nobody dares to cross her. You’re incredible, marrying someone like her!”

“Victor, you’re about to be the richest man’s husband. Don’t forget us!”

Even our old homeroom teacher flattered him:

“Victor, I always knew you were destined for success.”

“That’s why, even though your grades weren’t outstanding, we teachers never scolded you. I could tell you were born for greatness. You don’t need grades when you have power.”

Amid the praise, Victor’s lips curved into a smug smile, pride gleaming in his eyes.

But the truth was, Vivienne wasn’t as capable as they thought. Without her marriage alliance with me—an alliance that made her rivals hesitate—she would have been devoured long ago.

And without that shield, Victor would never have had the chance to flaunt the title of richest man.

Unexpectedly, Victor used this as another way to flaunt himself and soak up praise.

The moment they noticed me, the classmates who had been flattering him just seconds ago immediately frowned, their faces twisted with disdain.

One of Victor’s lackeys spotted the car behind me and jeered loudly, “Ethan, after all these years, you’re still driving some cheap domestic garbage truck?”

The others burst into laughter.

“That’s hilarious! I’d rather die than drive that kind of junk!”

“But wait, why are there so many zeros on his license plate? That kind of plate isn’t something money can buy!”

“Obviously fake! How could a clunker like that have such a plate?”

“No wonder he dared to show up. He’s just pretending, flashing a fake license plate! Absolutely ridiculous!”

Ignoring their mockery, I stayed calm. “The license plate is genuine.”

“And this isn’t a garbage truck. It’s the Red Flag National Gift.”

The moment I finished, Victor strode up and punched me in the face.

“Of course, the plate is real—because this car belongs to my wife!” he roared.

“I’ve suspected she was keeping a pretty boy, but I never imagined it’d be you, a worthless loser!”

“You shameless gigolo! How dare you drive my wife’s car to my wedding just to provoke me, her rightful husband?”

His words left everyone stunned.

“Victor, this is really your wife’s car?” someone asked, eyes wide.

“How could it be fake?” Victor declared proudly.

“My wife used to pick me up in this car. I thought the plate was so unique, I even snapped photos!”

He quickly pulled out his phone, showing picture after picture of himself and Vivienne.

There were intimate shots of the two of them sitting cheek to cheek inside, and the others of them cuddling atop the hood. The photos captured every detail of the interior, with the license plate visible and unmistakable.

It looked identical to my car. Seeing this, the classmates all sighed in awe.

“It really is Victor’s wife’s car! No wonder it has such a rare plate!”

“So Ethan must really be a kept man!”

Victor’s face darkened with rage, his voice like venom. “No wonder you never post on WhatsApp anymore. You’re just hiding the fact that you’re a gigolo.”

The others turned on me instantly.

“Who would’ve thought Ethan, who looked so decent on the surface, is actually living off a woman?”

“Right? Back in high school, I even thought he was cool and once wrote him a love letter. Now I just feel sick!”

“Some people act aloof, but deep down, they’re rotten. The moment they see a rich woman, they throw away their dignity and crawl.”

“He even drove his sugar mama’s car right in front of her real husband! He’s clearly jealous of Victor and deliberately trying to ruin the wedding!”

Even our old homeroom teacher shot me a disgusted look.

“Ethan, when you go out, don’t you dare say you were my student. I never taught someone so morally bankrupt.”

The commotion quickly drew a crowd. Strangers gathered, pointing, criticizing, some even pulling out phones to film—a few spat on me with contempt.

Silently, I shrugged off my coat and tossed it into a trash bin. Then I glared straight at Victor.

“You hit me in public without even bothering to learn the truth. Do you think you can act this lawlessly?”

Victor sneered arrogantly.

“So what if I hit you? So what if I’m lawless?”

“I’m the husband of the richest man now. In Eastbridge, I can do whatever I want!” Victor sneered, then glanced at the car behind me.

“The thought of a piece of trash like you driving my wife’s car disgusts me!”

“I’d rather destroy something tainted than let garbage like you touch it!”

He grabbed a brick from the roadside and smashed it against my car.

Windows, headlights, hood—he struck at everything.

“Victor is the future husband of the richest man! We can’t let him be humiliated by a freeloader like Ethan!” one classmate shouted.

The others quickly joined in, grabbing whatever they could to smash at my car.

But my car was bulletproof. After all their effort, it only had a few scratches. Nothing more.

That only enraged them further.

“What kind of car is this? Why is it so tough?”

I looked at them coldly and warned, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This isn’t just any car. Damaging it won’t just mean compensation.”

Victor’s fury spiked. “This is my wife’s car. If I want to smash it, I will! What’s the problem?”

The next second, he and the others yanked the doors open, climbing inside to slash the seats and interior.

The once-pristine interior was soon in ruins.

Watching this madness, I quietly pulled out my phone and called my boss.

“Boss, the company-assigned car was destroyed.”

Before I could hear a reply, one of Victor’s henchmen snatched the phone from me and slammed it to the ground.

“Still want to complain? You’re just a gigolo leeching off women. How dare you act tough?”

“What now? Going to call your rich sponsors to crush us? Hahaha!”

“You’re hopelessly addicted to pretending. We’re all classmates—who doesn’t know what you really are?”

“Yeah! Are you some reincarnated trash can? Acting so high and mighty?”

Laughter exploded again, their voices dripping with contempt.

I stared at the shattered phone on the ground and said coldly, “I hope you can still laugh later.”

That made Victor furious. He seized my collar and snarled, “You loser, you dare threaten us?”

As he spoke, his eyes landed on the jade necklace tucked near my collar. Greed flashed across his face. He reached out and ripped it off in one swift motion.

“This necklace doesn’t look cheap. Did you waste my wife’s money on it?”

My face instantly paled. “Give it back!”

Seeing my sudden panic, Victor sneered. “So nervous? This necklace must be valuable.”

“It’s not worth much, but it’s extremely important to me. Return it!” I pleaded, reaching out to snatch it back.

That jade necklace was the only thing my parents left me.

They were martyrs—my lifelong role models.

The last time I saw them was the day before my eighteenth birthday.

They promised to come home and celebrate after finishing their mission.

I waited and waited.

But instead of them, two urns of ashes and this necklace were delivered to me.

The leader said my parents’ last wish was to leave it with me.

They devoted their lives to the country. Their final gift to me was this necklace—my belated birthday present.

It became my most cherished weakness.

And I would never allow anyone to destroy it.