She Gave Me a Collar, I Fake My Death

I had always been a gold digger. After being transmigrated into the role of the billionaire's stand-in his first love, I raked in three hundred million in one year and was happily counting the zeros on my phone. Suddenly, a flood of bullet comments floated before my eyes. A: [Alert! The ex is back in town. The stand-in girlfriend never survives this kind of story.] B: [Classic trainwreck romance setup. The rebound usually gets dumped by episode three.] C: [Take my advice! Fake your death and run! Otherwise, the billionaire will break your legs and lock you in a dark room!] D: [Plot death is unavoidable. Just wait for your doom...] Three hundred million suddenly didn't seem so appealing. Before I could figure out how to fake my death, I was forcibly dragged to the welcome party for the first love, Annie Green. She smiled with fake kindness, raised her hand, and fastened a diamond-studded choker around my neck. "Miss Brown, I heard you love money. My dog got a new collar, so I'm giving you this old one." The bullet comments exploded. A: [Throw it away! It's radioactive! Wear it and you die!] B: [Don't touch it! Next episode will be your funeral!] Oh? Then I think I know how to fake my death! The whole room burst into laughter. I raised my head and curved my lips. "Miss Green, humiliating me like this," I paused, my gaze boring straight into her eyes, "is it because you still can't let go of President Davis?" A: [Damn, that hit way too close to home.] B: [This girl knows how to counterattack!] Annie's smile froze on her face. The air suddenly went quiet. The kind of quiet that had been mocking and contemptuous turned into the kind of quiet that waits for gossip. I watched Annie's face go from white to pale, and finally to completely ashen. "What nonsense are you talking about?" I didn't say anything. I just smiled, looked past her, and gazed behind her. Luke Davis was leaning on the sofa. His hand, gently swirling a wine glass, stopped. There was even a hint of anticipation in his eyes. People around began whispering, "Does Annie still love Luke?" "If she didn't, why would she target Lucy so much? Lucy is her stand-in." "She probably wants to get back together but can't swallow her pride." The murmurs surged like a tide. Annie's eyes started to redden. Luke felt sorry for her and immediately snapped at me coldly, "Miss Brown, watch your place." I obediently lowered my head. "Yes, President Davis." Then I raised my hand, took off the choker, and waved it at Annie. "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Green. Your motives may not be pure, but the diamonds are real. I'll take them." Annie trembled with rage. She turned to Luke and shrieked, "Control your little attack dog, would you? Some of us still have standards." Luke frowned. I looked at him and spoke at the right moment, my eyes innocent. "Then I'll leave?" The room went quiet again. Everyone was waiting for Luke's response. He was silent for two seconds, then suddenly took my hand. "Since Miss Green doesn't welcome us, we'll take our leave." A: [Holy s**t? The billionaire is actually protecting the stand-in? stand-in B: [This isn't right! Doesn't he only love his first love?] I was stunned. Annie was stunned too. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Luke pulled me toward the door. Just as we reached the entrance, Annie's voice finally caught up. "Luke, are you really going to spoil my party for her?" Luke didn't look back. His voice was cold. "She came with me. Humiliating her is slapping my face." Annie was choked. Her face flushed red and pale. Her chest heaved violently. People around began to mediate in low voices, "President Davis, don't be impulsive. Annie was just joking." "Yeah, yeah, it's her welcome party. It would be a shame to leave." "Annie, say something." Annie bit her lip and said nothing. I looked at Luke's profile. His jaw was clenched tight. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't read. I knew from the start that he wasn't defending me. He was just being petulant. Testing whether Annie would stop him. I didn't want to be their prop anymore. I gently tugged my hand, which Luke was holding. "President Davis, please don't fight with Miss Green because of me. I can go back by myself." Luke didn't let go. But some people started persuading him, "Luke, Annie just came back. Don't be like this." "Yeah, talk it out nicely. Don't hurt the relationship." "Miss Brown said it herself. Don't put her in a difficult position." Luke was silent for a long time. So long that I thought he wouldn't let go. Then he let go. A: [Giving up already?] B: [A simp remains a simp] I smiled bitterly, turned wisely, and walked toward the exit. "Stop." Annie's voice rang out again. I stopped and turned around. She looked at me, and finally a smile returned to her lips. "Miss Brown ruined my welcome party. Letting you leave just like that," she paused, "wouldn't that be slapping my face?" I frowned. "What do you want?" She swirled her wine glass and said slowly, "I want you to," she lifted her eyes, her gaze stabbing straight at me, "Crawl out."