I saw the girl throw something into the trash can, so I immediately went over to rummage through it.

When I took the gift box out from the bin, another hand reached in to grab it.

I instinctively pulled back, but the other person still caught hold of it.

He tried to snatch it from me.

I glared back at him and said, "You let go! I saw it first! It is mine!"

It was getting dark and there weren't many people around.

I'd heard before that some people deliberately lurked around on holidays like Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They would rummage through trash cans to pick up things to sell for money.

If it were ordinary trash, I would have let it slide, but this was a necklace worth tens of millions!

I bit the person's arm before he could even speak.

When he cried out in pain and loosened his grip, I immediately bolted in the opposite direction. I jumped on my electric scooter, and sped off as fast as I could.

"Trying to snatch it from me? Not a chance.

"Hmph! See that, son? Your mom's awesome, right?"

[You are the greatest.]

For some reason, my son seemed distracted.

However, I couldn't help but notice the people carrying bouquets of flowers.

I'd heard people picked up smartphones and gold. Why not give it a go?

I put on a mask and threatened my son to tell me which trash cans had valuables.

I picked up three of the latest-model smartphones, several rings—diamond, gold, and platinum ones. I was so annoyed to find a fake ring inside too. I immediately tossed it back into the trash can.

"Hmph, what a scumbag. I can't believe someone would use a fake diamond ring to propose."

I picked up other random valuables as well.

Looking at these treasures, I hugged them to sleep every night.

My dreams were all about being filthy rich.

When the police came knocking on my door the next day, I finally understood why my son wouldn't let me pick up those thrown-away valuables.

I gave a statement at the police station.

I had to turn in the valuables that I collected from the trash.

I even had to write one thousand words of self-reflection and promised I would turn in any valuables that I picked up to the police.

Of course, I turned in everything except for the necklace.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

I kicked the stone hard. Smack! My foot was so painful that I squatted down. My heart ached.

"Why do I have to return the valuables I pick up from the trash can? Why? Waahhh…"

It surprised me that my son didn't mock me. He comforted me instead.

[Mom, we should not take from the poor.]

[If presents can be thrown away, what does that signify?]

I replied, "What does that mean?"

[It means the woman doesn't like the man, but the man forced it on her anyway. When he finds out his gift has been thrown away, he will want it back. If the surveillance camera captures whoever picked it up, they're out of luck.]

[My dad's different. He is filthy rich. He does not need to worry about money.]

[His gifts are worth millions or tens of millions. If they are being thrown away, he couldn't care less.]

I was unhappy.

He continued to console me. [What you lost is less than fifty thousand. But the necklace you picked up? That's worth tens of millions.]

I wiped away my tears and became confident again.

That was tens of millions!

As soon as I got home, I searched for the original price of the necklace.

When I saw the price tag, thirteen million, I was startled.

I jumped around while hugging the necklace case.

My son was shouting inside my belly, [Ahh, Mom, be careful! Watch it! I'm still inside of you.]

I quickly calmed down.

All the unpleasantness at the police station this morning vanished into thin air.

I put on a mask and headed to a luxury resale shop.

I sold it at 80% of the original price.

The buyer inspected the item and confirmed it was genuine.

The deal was completed.

I took the money and went to buy the latest model flip-phone.

The flip-phone was really cool!

Even though the smartphones I picked up were confiscated, I could buy them myself.

After the incident, I strictly followed my son's instructions.

I rummaged through the trash cans in town and picked up valuables!

I became a VIP member of the bank.

I wore fancy clothes.

I got my driver's license and bought a small car.

I applied for yoga classes and found my hobbies. When I had spare time, I would attend various classes.

I employed a nutritionist to take care of my meals.

I hired a nanny to take care of my daily needs.

I bought a villa, renovated it, and moved in.

I finally achieved my financial freedom from picking up trash.

As my belly grew, my son excitedly said, [I'm coming out soon. I'm so happy!]

I bathed under the sun on the balcony.

I asked curiously, "My son, are you reborn?"

[Yes, I am. When you found out you had me, you went and searched for my dad in the past.]

[Even though you were accepted into the family, you had a very rough life. My dad was displeased with you. After you had given birth, he had not once cared for you. Other people didn't know of your existence even though you were part of the rich family.]

[You had no status. Your days were tough.]

[As for me, I was an illegitimate baby. From now on, we shall stay away from the rich and live happily after.]

My heart ached.

I turned to my side and exposed my belly to the sunlight.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, my son."

Now I had enough money, I planned to leave after my son was born.

I would start a business instead of picking up trash.

If I kept doing this, I would get caught one day and lose all my money.

My son reassured me. [I've learnt everything I need in my past life, so let me handle the business. You just sit back and relax.]

I was moved to tears upon hearing that.

"You are a blessing to me."

Even though his words touched me, I would never let my kid handle everything on his own.

I hired a gynecologist to advise me on what to do to ensure a smooth delivery.

Following her instructions, I exercised daily and watched out for my weight.

Within just half an hour, my son was born. The entire process was fast and smooth.

After my son cried, I carried him back to my private room.

He babbled for a while.

Seeing that I didn't respond, he stopped.

I blinked my eyes and said, "My son, I can't seem to hear you anymore."

He continued to babble while moving his hands.

I finally understood. He was hungry. I quickly made and fed him milk.

I couldn't believe I had given birth to a diligent son.

He practiced hard day and night.

Other babies took a long time to learn to roll, crawl, and sit. It took him only nine months to be able to walk and run. He also started learning super early.

By the time he started kindergarten, he already mastered sixth-grade study.

At three years old, he skipped straight to fifth grade.

He was a child prodigy.

When I returned home from shopping, I found a strange man in my house.

This man and my son looked alike!

My heart was pounding like crazy!