I Can See Everyone's Real Bank Balance

Since childhood, I've been able to see the exact amount of money in someone's bank account floating above their head. At the orphanage, I use this gift to pick adoptive parents who look shabby but actually have a billion dollars sitting in the bank. Unfortunately, I only get to enjoy the good life for a short time before the family's real daughter is brought home. She's furious that I've taken her place and makes it her mission to make my life miserable. In order to stay in school, I swallow every insult and endure her bullying. After finally graduating, I'm ready to walk away from this family forever. But the real daughter stops me. She's fuming as she says, "I thought my online boyfriend was a rich guy with a Ferrari, but it turns out he's just a broke loser who rides a rental bike. "If he latches onto me, it'll be a stain on my reputation for life. You go meet him for me. Tell him you're the one he's been dating online." I look in the direction she's pointing and see the man she's talking about. A broke nobody? But the bank balance hovering over his head has ten digits! I swallow hard, my heart racing as I grab the real daughter's arm in excitement. "Quick, tell me everything about your online relationship. I'll go meet him right now!" Chapter 1 The moment Yvonne Reed, my adoptive sister, saw how eager I was, she let out a mocking laugh. "Seriously, Tessa? Have you never seen a man before? I can't believe you're drooling over a broke loser." She tossed her phone at me so I could read her chat with her online boyfriend for myself. "Since you're that desperate, I'll just give him to you. Leave with him—and it'd be best if you never came back," she spat. I swallowed her cold sarcasm and kept my expression neutral. Once I had quickly memorized every detail I needed, I finally mustered my courage and walked up to the online boyfriend Yvonne no longer wanted. "Hi, I'm Cindy, the one who's been chatting with you. My real name is Tessa Reed." I smiled and held out my hand. The man's eyes lit up, clearly surprised. "So this is what you look like. You're even prettier than I imagined. Nice to meet you. My real name is Calvin Fulton." Before this, Yvonne had only sent him a few blurry side-profile and back-view photos. Our figures were similar enough that he didn't suspect a thing. When I shook his hand, I carefully counted the long string of numbers floating above his head. I wasn't mistaken—it was ten digits long. But what shocked me even more was that the number was steadily and rapidly increasing. Was this what being rich was like? Calvin literally didn't have to lift a finger. He could just laze around and live off interest, and he'd still be filthy rich. If I could latch onto him… I wouldn't just escape my family; I probably wouldn't even need to worry about the rest of my life anymore. While I was lost in that fantasy, Calvin gave me a self-conscious look and said, almost apologetically, "I'm dressed so shabbily, and I could only come here on a rented bike. Are you embarrassed by me?" He was wearing filthy, worn-out flip-flops, and his clothes and pants were cheap and threadbare. Coincidentally, when Yvonne had chatted him up online, she'd played the part of a poor, pitiful young woman from a humble background. I went along with that and replied, "All my clothes are my younger sister's hand-me-downs. Looks like you're just as frugal as I am. No wonder we got along so well when we talked." Yvonne had assumed that if she could sell misery and pretend to be dirt-poor, she could win over some rich heir's sympathy and then get him to spend money on her. What she didn't expect was that Calvin would beat her at her own game and pretend to be poor himself to test her. When he saw that I really was dressed plainly and that my skin was sallow and my frame a little too thin, his suspicion toward me eased a bit. But his test wasn't over yet. "We can't just keep standing here talking. Let me at least buy you a meal," he said. He quickly rented a bike for me. When he scanned the QR code to pay for it, he made sure I saw his old, beat-up phone. I didn't comment on it. I just took out my own secondhand phone with a cracked screen and bought him a fountain soda. "Thanks for being willing to come meet me. I'm really touched," Calvin said. I wanted to see how far he was going to take this broke act. After we biked for half an hour, he finally led me into a tiny buffet place where people could get all-you-can-eat boxed meals for 15 dollars. Chapter 2 When I froze in the doorway, Calvin looked at me with an expression that said, "I knew it." Even so, he rubbed his hands together, pretending to be all nervous. "Too bad I'm broke. A whole day of delivering takeout only gets me, like, 80 bucks. Are you going to look down on me for only being able to treat you to boxed meals like this, Tessa?" I snapped out of it, and my stomach growled in hunger. "Of course not. I was adopted, and my adoptive parents stopped supporting me once I got into college," I said. "I worked part-time to save up for tuition. To save money, I usually bought cheap bread and paired it with free soup from the cafeteria. For me, these buffet-style boxed meals are already luxurious enough." I told Calvin the truth openly, without a trace of diffidence or embarrassment in my eyes. Once I finished, I couldn't wait any longer and hurried inside the restaurant, making a beeline for one of the metal food trays. If it had been Yvonne in my place, she probably would've slammed the tray over Calvin's head and told him to get lost. But my eyes were practically shining as I moved down the line, piling food onto my tray. "Sweet and sour pork? I love that. Mashed potatoes? I love that. Shakshuka? I love that. Bread rolls? I love that…" Calvin followed me. When he saw my tray piled high with food and the way I dug in with such gusto, a trace of tenderness flickered in his eyes. "So you really do love this stuff. You weren't just saying that to fool me." I was too busy stuffing my face to hear a word he said. Compared to a glutton like me, Calvin clearly wasn't a fan of these greasy dishes. After forcing down a few bites, he put his cutlery down. Everything he couldn't finish ended up in my stomach. When I finally polished it all off, I patted my round, full belly and thanked him profusely. "Thanks for this. This was the most satisfying meal I've had all year." "Don't be so easy to please. Once I start making real money, I'll take you out for something way better," Calvin said. His gaze darkened faintly, and the corners of his lips lifted in the hint of a smile. When he offered to walk me home, I waved him off. "I'm never going back there. I'm planning to stay in a cheap hostel for a few days while I look for a job." I remembered that, in the chat logs, Calvin had always been curious about what Yvonne's real life looked like. Even though she'd gone missing as a kid, she hadn't suffered a day in her life—some kind stranger had picked her up. She couldn't make up a tragic backstory, so every time Calvin asked, she just turned on the charm and dodged the question. So now, when he probed about my situation, I spoke freely and without guilt. "I was adopted from an orphanage. A few days after they brought me home, my adoptive parents' biological daughter, who'd gone missing, was sent home by the stranger who found her. "From then on, I became a thorn in her side. She came up with all sorts of ways to bully me. My adoptive parents knew about it; they just couldn't be bothered to step in. But they did at least give me food and a roof over my head, and they paid for my schooling. I'm still truly grateful to them." As Calvin listened, his hands slowly balled into fists. He asked, "So you just put up with it? You let that real daughter walk all over you?" I nodded and tugged up my sleeve, showing him the old scars on my arms. Some were from where Yvonne had burned me with matches, and some were from where she'd scratched me with nails. There was even one from when she'd egged a dog on to bite me. "It's fine. I've already graduated from college, so I can rely on myself from now on. Once I've saved up enough money, I'll pay my adoptive parents back for everything and officially cut ties with them," I said. "Tessa… when we started talking online, I honestly thought you were just pretending to be pitiful to scam me." Now that Calvin had seen everything for himself, he no longer suspected that I was lying to him. After some thought, he looked steadily into my eyes. "If you could make one wish right now, what would you want?" Chapter 3 I sneaked a look at the bank balance floating above Calvin's head. In the time it took us to finish our meal, his assets had magically gone up by another five million dollars. Yet here he was, still pretending to be broke. Counting on him to hand me tens of millions of dollars was clearly unrealistic, so I decided to make a wish for him to pull some strings and get me a job. That wasn't asking too much, right? I said, "I hope I can find a job soon. If it came with room and board so I could save on rent, that'd be even better." Calvin raised his brows mysteriously. "Maybe the universe will hear you and grant your wish very soon." I was both hopeful and afraid to hope too much. After all, I still knew absolutely nothing about his real background. Either way, after thanking him sincerely for treating me to lunch, I spent a painful chunk of my own money to buy him ice cream in return. After that, he went with me to several hostels, trying to help me find the one that offered the best value for money. That evening, he treated me to dinner. When it was all over, he got onto his rented bike, and we reluctantly went our separate ways. To my surprise, I'd barely seen Calvin off when I got a call from the HR department of a publicly listed company. "We saw your résumé on the job site, and we think you're a great fit for our open position. Would you be interested in coming in for an interview?" I didn't know how this company was linked to Calvin, but I was sure this stroke of luck hadn't fallen from the sky—it had come from him. What made me even happier was that the interview the next day went much more smoothly than I expected. HR only asked a few simple questions before telling me to come back the following day to complete my onboarding. I was overjoyed and immediately contacted Calvin. I exclaimed, "Your mouth is magic. I actually landed a job with a dorm and meal allowance! You brought me this stroke of good luck. I have to treat you to a meal to thank you properly!" He readily agreed. He still showed up in that same cheap, worn-out outfit, and even tried to cover it up by saying, "I haven't bought any decent clothes in ages. I just keep rotating this one set. I hope you don't mind." As he spoke, I noticed that the balance above his head had actually gone up by another 80 million dollars compared to yesterday. I didn't call him out. Instead, I smiled and said, "Once I get my paycheck, I'm buying you a brand new outfit." Calvin looked genuinely startled. "You can barely afford to feed yourself, and you still want to buy clothes for me?" "You're the first person to treat me to a nice meal and keep me company just walking and talking. You're good to me, so I should be good to you, too," I explained. He looked touched, and I could tell it wasn't fake at all. … From that day on, I threw myself into my new job and started working hard for my future. I saw Calvin every day, and we grew closer. We still usually ate at cheap little street stalls, but he gradually relaxed around me and stopped racking his brain to test me. On payday, I kept my promise and took him to buy new clothes. He put on the outfit I'd picked out for him and said seriously, "Tessa, trust me on this. This is only the start of your good luck." He told me he would be busy for a few days. Once he wrapped things up, he would give me a huge surprise. I had no idea what he meant, and I didn't dare let my imagination run wild. A part of me even felt it was better if he just kept pretending to be poor. As long as he was putting on an act, we could stay on equal footing and get along without any problems. But if he really went back to being some untouchable rich heir, I honestly had no idea how I would face him. … Over the next few days, I couldn't get hold of Calvin, which I'd expected. But now and then, he would text me, telling me to be patient and to wait for him. Unexpectedly, before I saw him again, the person I least wanted to see showed up first. I had no idea how Yvonne had managed to get my address. "So, are you together with my online boyfriend? Tell him to get over here so I can take a good look at him again," she said haughtily. "I was checking the financial news today and realized he looks exactly like the Fulton family's heir!" As she spoke, she shoved her phone in my face, almost hitting me in the nose with it as she showed me a photo. Chapter 4 The photo was of Calvin attending an event overseas. So, it turned out he was actually the heir to the Fulton family, the most powerful family in our city. In the photo, he wore a luxurious custom three-piece suit and a watch worth millions, and rode in a Rolls-Royce with a full entourage of bodyguards around him. I thought about how this rich heir, who was totally out of my league, had gone out of his way to dress shabbily and look unkempt when meeting me for cheap street food. I nearly burst out laughing. Calvin had really gone all in just to test his online girlfriend. Afraid that Yvonne would somehow track him down and expose the fact that I'd been impersonating her, I racked my brains trying to appease her. "You're overthinking this," I said. "The first time he treated me to a meal, it was a 15-dollar buffet-style boxed meal. Every time we meet up, we only go for cheap street food. "He only has one set of clothes that he rotates over and over, and his slippers are falling apart. How could he possibly be the Fulton family's heir?" Seeing the doubt in Yvonne's eyes as she looked me over, I quickly pulled out my phone and showed her the photos I had taken of us eating at street stalls, along with the bill totals. She scrolled through my phone for a long time. Then, she dragged her gaze over my clothes—the same ones I'd worn for years—and only then did she reluctantly let go of her suspicions. "Makes sense. If he really were some rich heir, how could he not spend money on you and still be slumming it at cheap places with you? And someone that high-class would definitely have high standards. No way he'd go for a broke nobody like you." Before she left, she couldn't resist throwing in a few more nasty jabs at me. "You were born pathetic, Tessa. Trash like you only deserves to hang around losers. When you're out in public, don't you dare say you're from the Reed family. My parents can't afford the shame," she spat. Looking at the smug, domineering look on her face, I swallowed my resentment. Despite myself, a tiny thread of anticipation rose in my chest. If one day, Calvin stood firmly by my side as the Fulton family's rightful heir and made Yvonne eat her words in front of me, how would she react? I only indulged in that fantasy for a few seconds before I shook my head, forcing myself to stop daydreaming. The fact that Calvin had given me such a good job made me feel like I'd already hit the jackpot. How could I dare hope for a miracle to actually happen to someone like me? Once I composed myself, I kept my head down and quietly got through another three peaceful days. … That day after work, I'd just stepped out of the company building when a Rolls-Royce suddenly pulled up right in front of me. The rear window slowly rolled down. Calvin's face—both familiar and strangely distant at the same time—appeared before my eyes. "Tessa, get in. There's something I need to talk to you about," he said. All the other employees stopped in their tracks, staring and whispering to each other about my relationship with Calvin. My mind short-circuited. I couldn't believe Calvin had actually revealed his identity in front of everyone. Seeing the stunned look on my face as I stood frozen there, Calvin chuckled and opened the door, stepping out of the car. "What are you spacing out for? We've only been apart for a few days, and you've already forgotten me?" As he walked toward me with that gentle look in his eyes, my heart pounded violently in my chest. Maybe miracles really did happen. Just as I hesitated over how to respond to him, a shrill voice suddenly rang out from behind me. "Mr. Fulton! Tessa has tricked you—she's not the real Cindy who's been chatting with you online. She's an impostor!" My breath hitched, and I stiffly turned around. Yvonne came charging over. "I'm Yvonne Reed. I'm Cindy, the one who was really in an online relationship with you!" When I saw Calvin's expression darken, I felt like I'd been plunged into an ice-cold abyss. All the blood drained from my face. I was done for. I'd waited so long for Calvin to come clean to me about who he really was. If he found out that our entire relationship was built on my deception… Forget about latching onto him. I would probably lose the job I depended on just to survive. I wanted so badly to open my mouth and explain everything to him, but fear made my throat close up, and I couldn't force out a single word. Contemptuous, mocking stares closed in on me from every direction, making me so nervous that I couldn't even lift my head. "Look—this is my account. These are our chat logs, and these are the photos I sent you. I have tons of proof that Tessa has been lying to you! You can't let this scammer off the hook!" Yvonne cried.