Chapter 1

The company distributed a box of oranges, so sour they could make your teeth ache.

My pregnant coworker loved them, so I handed them over without hesitation.

When my mother-in-law heard about this, she stormed into the company and made a scene, demanding my coworker return the oranges.

Shaking with anger, I asked her, "Don't I have the right to give away my own things anymore?"

She sneered, "You belong to our family now, let alone your possessions!"

Suddenly, it dawned on me. I had treated them as family, but they saw me as a slave. It seemed some accounts needed to be settled.

I was shaking with anger as I asked her, "Don't I have the right to give away my own things anymore?"

She sneered, "You belong to our family now, let alone your possessions!"

Suddenly, it dawned on me. I had treated them as family, but they saw me as a slave. It seemed some accounts needed to be settled.

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I had just finished lunch when I saw my mother-in-law, Linda, walk into the office carrying a thermal lunch box. As soon as she entered, she started looking around suspiciously.

I quickly stood up to greet her, "Mom, what brings you here?"

"I brought you lunch," Linda said, slamming the lunch box on the table with a loud thud that startled my coworkers.

After living together for half a year, I had come to understand her a bit. Her hands were shaking slightly - a sign she was suppressing her anger.

Besides, she had never brought me lunch before.

I opened the lunch box to find only some sandwiches, which I disliked. Clearly, bringing lunch was just an excuse.

"I heard your company gave out oranges?" Linda got straight to the point.

Our company often gave out things as perks, so it wasn't unusual.

This time, the oranges they bought were organic and sugar-free, but they were so sour they could make your teeth ache.

My pregnant coworker, Olivia, who was dealing with morning sickness, actually found them appealing. I gave her my oranges to avoid wasting them.

Was Linda here for such a trivial matter? Olivia was sitting right across from me; it would be awkward if she overheard this.

"The oranges were sour, so I gave them to my coworker. If you want some, I can buy you some after work," I said in a low voice.

"How dare you! You just give things away without asking me?" Linda slammed her hand on the table and shouted. The entire office went quiet, all eyes turning to us in shock.

Olivia had just gone to get water and was now waddling back, sensing something was wrong.

"Mom, please don't make a scene. It's not a big deal. I'll buy you two boxes, okay? Please go home now," I tried to calm the situation, feeling utterly embarrassed for the first time in my life.

"I've never seen such a disrespectful daughter-in-law! What do you take our family for? You just give away things without consulting us?" Linda's voice grew louder, ignoring my pleading looks. She kept glancing at Olivia, probably guessing from her belly that she was the one I had given the oranges to.

I was breaking out in a cold sweat. Olivia's pregnancy was hard-won, and she had been on bed rest. What if this upset her?

"Stop it! Leave now!" I was trembling with anger as I tried to drag Linda towards the door.

"Look everyone, this is my wonderful daughter-in-law, beating her mother-in-law!" Linda cried out dramatically as my grip on her arm tightened.

My coworkers stood awkwardly to the side, unsure whether to intervene.

"Was it really necessary to come here and make a scene over such a small thing? Don't I have the right to give away my own things?" I asked, my voice shaking with anger.

"You belong to our family now, let alone your possessions!" Linda's words ripped away all pretense between us. So this was how it was. The harmonious family life I thought we had was just my own delusion.

"I didn't take the oranges home, I only opened the box and ate two. Here, take them back, please don't be angry!" Olivia, also frightened, hurriedly pulled out the box from under her desk. Her coworkers quickly stopped her and went to help.

"Emma, come here for a moment," my manager, Ms. Smith, beckoned to me.

My coworkers got the hint. Two of them led me to the manager's office, while three or four others gently pushed Linda out the door, along with the box of oranges.

Linda left clutching the orange box. She had probably come just to humiliate me, and her goal was achieved.

Ms. Smith had always been kind to me. She poured me a glass of water and handed me some tissues.

Only then did I realize how disheveled I looked.

"I've been a daughter-in-law and now I'm a mother-in-law myself. I understand this game. It's an obedience test," Ms. Smith said. Her words hit me like a revelation. So that's what it was!

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