Chapter 4

The phone screen suddenly lit up, a push notification appearing with a cheerful sound effect:

【Congratulations! You've been selected as this week's lucky user! Claim your $100 lucky bonus now!】

A hundred bucks.

What exquisite irony. What a malicious crumb of charity.

They took my mother's entire life's savings, and now they were using a hundred dollars to buy my dignity.

I wanted to uninstall it immediately, but my fingertips searched my pockets, only finding rough fabric and a few specks of dust.

Mom had given them all her money; we were penniless, and even a decent dinner was a luxury.

I swallowed a towering wave of hatred and humiliation, and clicked 【Claim】.

The money instantly hit my account.

The next second, Chloe's call came through.

"Willow, I just bet Blake you'd take it. He didn't believe me; he said no matter how pathetic you are, you wouldn't take money from the app that ruined your reputation. And? Haha! Not even a second! You poor trash, you'll do anything for money, won't you?"

My dead silence apparently bored her.

"Whatever, you're silent as a dummy, no fun at all. I'm going to bet Blake again!"

The call didn't disconnect. I could clearly hear her walk over to Blake, her voice laced with provocation: "Blake, let's bet again. I bet if we set a 'bark like a dog for $10' task, she'll still do it! Want to bet?"

On the other end of the line, Blake's silence was heavy.

Seconds later, a new pop-up appeared on my phone screen, stark and unmistakable.

【Fun Challenge: Impersonate a dog's bark to receive a $10 cash reward.】

I stared at the words, my blood froze in my veins, then exploded a second later.

I wanted to smash the phone.

But at that very moment, a fresh wave of agonizing pain seized my insides without warning!

My abdomen felt clamped by red-hot pincers, twisting and tearing me apart.

I gasped, my vision blurring, and cold sweat instantly soaked my clothes.

I stumbled towards the pill bottle, only to discover in despair that the painkillers were empty.

I had no money.

Not a single cent.

I didn't even have enough to buy the cheapest box of painkillers.

The pop-up on the screen, like a devil's eyes, silently sneered at me from the darkness.

I stood there for three minutes, which felt like three centuries of torment in hell.

Finally, I trembled, clicked the record button, and two dry, raspy sounds rolled out of my throat:

"Woof... woof..."

On the other end of the line, Chloe's hysterical, utterly triumphant laughter instantly erupted, followed by the dull thud of a fist hitting the table from Blake.

I didn't care.

I claimed the $10, rushed downstairs, and bought the cheapest painkillers at the pharmacy.

I didn't even wait to get home, swallowing a handful of pills dry and desperately.

Before the medication fully kicked in, the pain still raged wildly inside me.

I couldn't hold on any longer. I squatted on the dirty roadside, clutching my knees, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Just as my consciousness blurred, the screech of brakes ripped through the air, deafeningly close.

A black van slammed to a halt beside me, aggressively. The door slid open with a loud WHOOSH.

Before I could react, strong arms clamped down on me, dragging me roughly inside!

【Cut-off Point】