The Moral Judgment My Cheating Wife Begs for My Mercy

Three days ago, the Moral Rating System descended upon the world. Everyone was forcibly bound to it, and their souls were graded. The system ruled: Anyone with a score below 60 was deemed morally corrupt. Starting from midnight three days later, the system would randomly eliminate one hundred thousand low-scorers every single day. My wife, Lily, had always been freezing cold to me. But the moment the system appeared, she suddenly did a complete 180. She started treating me like a king, catering to my every whim. All because the moral score floating above her head was a failing grade. Meanwhile, the score floating above my head was an mind-blowing 100,000. If she wanted to survive, she had to beg for my protection. I was actually going to soften up and agree. That was, until I discovered her disgusting, dirty secret. Three days ago, everyone on Earth was forced to bind with the [Moral Rating System]. It judged and scored everyone's morality in real-time based on their actions. Anyone below 60 points was marked as morally bankrupt. In three days, at midnight, the system would start randomly vaporizing one hundred thousand of them daily. At first, most people thought it was a hoax. But three days later, when exactly one hundred thousand people turned to ash overnight, absolute panic struck the world. Today, the entire city was drowned in grief and terror. Funerals were happening on every street, and the crematoriums were completely backed up. But I didn't have to worry about this apocalypse at all. The number floating above my head was an insane, glaring 100,000! Even if I committed a few petty crimes, this number would barely budge. I just needed to go to work, do my job, and live my life in peace. When I got home after work, the rich aroma of gourmet food hit me the moment I opened the door. I froze. The dining table was covered with a massive, carefully prepared feast. "Leo, you’re home!" a voice called out, dripping with excitement. I looked up. Lily, my wife, was wearing a cute floral apron. She rushed over, her face glowing with a warm, welcoming smile—a smile I hadn't seen in over a year. "You must be exhausted, babe. Let me take your bag and coat." She reached out for my briefcase and then knelt down to place my slippers right at my feet. Faced with this sudden, almost creepy level of affection, I stood there, completely lost. Lily and I had been married for two years. The sweetness of our first year had been completely choked out by her coldness and emotional neglect in the second. We barely talked. Whenever I tried to initiate any physical intimacy, she always had an excuse. She was always "too tired." But right now, she was acting like a totally different person. "Lily, what is all this?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. A flash of sheer panic crossed her face, but she quickly masked it with another fake smile. "Babe, I've been thinking. I've been so focused on work lately that I neglected you. I felt so guilty. I just want to make it up to you starting tonight." I didn't buy a single word. In the two years we'd been married, she had never tried to please me like this. She hadn't even stepped foot in the kitchen once. I took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye. "Lily, if there's something you need, just say it. We're married." The smile froze on her face. Her eyes darted around the room. Finally, she hesitantly pointed a trembling finger above her head. I looked up. That was when I noticed the glowing, blood-red number floating above her head: 38. My eyes widened. I couldn't help but gasp. "Lily! Why is your moral score so low? What on earth did you do?" Lily's face turned pale. Her lips trembled. "I... I just complained about my coworkers on Snapchat, and then it dropped. Leo, please, you're the only one who can save me..." Her voice cracked, and she started crying. According to the system's rules, to avoid vaporization, you either had to do endless good deeds to raise your score, or seek protection from someone with a high score. The higher their score, the stronger the shield. No wonder Lily was acting like a devoted housewife. She wanted my protection. She was my wife. Culturally and morally, I shouldn't just watch her die. But remembering how coldly she had treated me over the past year, a surge of resentment welled up inside me. I didn't say yes immediately. Lily sensed my hesitation. Rage flashed in her eyes, but she didn't dare let it show. I held her life in my hands now. To get my protection, she had to swallow her pride and keep sucking up to me. During dinner, she practically fed me. Afterward, she massaged my shoulders, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Once she finished, she stood up and whispered seductively, "Leo, I'm going to take a shower. Wait for me in bed. I have a surprise for you." She walked into the bathroom. She was going to use her body to force me to protect her. I leaned back on the couch. I wasn't excited. Instead, a heavy feeling settled in my chest. A moral score of 38 was incredibly low. Only truly awful, corrupt people got scores that bad. Did Lily do something far worse than just "complaining about coworkers"? Just then, her phone on the coffee table lit up with a notification. I picked it up and unlocked it. But when I read the messages, my face drained of color. A wave of white-hot fury rushed straight to my brain. Lily was cheating on me.Looking at the disgusting chat logs and videos on her phone, I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. To keep her affair hidden, she had created a secret Snapchat account. The messages were incredibly graphic. The guy had even sent videos of them together to "commemorate their sweet times." No wonder Lily's score was a 38. No wonder she had been so cold to me this past year. She had been riding someone else behind my back! "Lily! For two years, I gave you my heart and soul. I handed over my entire paycheck. I did all the chores. I would have died for you! How could you do this to me?" "I trusted you with everything, and you've been cuckolding me for a whole year!" I bolted up from the couch, ready to tear open the bathroom door and drag that lying whore out. But I stopped myself just in time. "No. I can't blow my cover yet." I didn't know who her lover was. He used a fake handle on Snapchat: Mr. S. To find out the truth, I had to play dumb. But until I got my answers, I was going to make Lily's life an absolute living hell. Just then, the bathroom door opened. Lily stepped out, wrapped in a skimpy towel. "Leo, why aren't you in bed yet? I'm ready..." Seeing her trying to look sexy, and realizing she had looked at "Mr. S" the exact same way, a wave of intense nausea hit me. I forced down my rage and looked at her with icy eyes. "Ready for what? Did you do the dishes? Did you vacuum the living room? Did you take out the trash? And the bathroom trash can is overflowing. Are you blind?" Lily's seductive smile shattered. Shock and a hint of rage took its place. Her voice got high and screechy. "Leo! You—!" "What about me?" I cut her off ruthlessly. "I'm telling you right now, if you don't clean this entire apartment top to bottom tonight, don't even think about sleeping in my bed. Got it?" Lily's face turned red, then pale. Her finger shook as she pointed at me, curses practically flying out of her mouth. But then, her eyes met mine. She looked at my cold expression, and then at the massive 100,000 glowing above my head. She swallowed her rage. She took a deep breath, forcing a smile that looked uglier than crying. "No... no problem, Leo. You're right. From now on, I'll do all the chores. Whatever you want." I sneered, ignored her, and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door. Once inside, I pulled out my phone and texted a trusted friend who specialized in cyber security, asking him to trace the identity of this "Mr. S." Because I had been doing all the housework for the past two years, Lily was completely out of practice. Within minutes, she was exhausted. She wanted to throw the mop and quit, but the bright red 38 floating above her head kept her terrified. Her instinct to survive crushed her pride. "No, I have to endure this! I have to make Leo protect me!" She dragged the mop across the floor, gritting her teeth. "This stupid system won't last forever. One day, it will disappear. Once I'm safe, I will make Leo pay tenfold for how he treated me today!" By the time she finished everything, it was almost midnight. But when she walked down to the building's dumpster to throw out the trash, she realized with horror that she had locked herself out of the apartment. Her phone and purse were still inside the living room. She had no money, no keys, and no way to even get a cheap motel room. It was late autumn. Wearing nothing but a thin silk bathrobe, Lily had to curl up in the corner of the hallway, shivering from the cold, fear, and exhaustion, enduring the longest night of her life. The next morning, when I opened the door to go to work, I found her. Lily was pale, shivering in the corner of the hallway, sneezing repeatedly. She had clearly caught a terrible cold. Seeing her miserable state, I didn't feel an ounce of pity. "Since you have a cold, you need to move around. Chore therapy works wonders for a cold. Go wash the dishes from last night again. Oh, and scrub the toilet. It’s looking a bit yellow." Lily snapped her head up, her eyes filled with disbelief and rage. But when she met my gaze, she lost all her strength and hung her head. "...Okay, I'll do it now." She knew she had absolutely zero leverage.Today was our company’s quarterly town hall meeting. The main agenda was announcing the new promotions. As soon as I walked into the conference hall, a crowd of people swarmed me. Among them were coworkers who usually ignored me or stabbed me in the back, and even a couple of senior executives who usually walked around like gods. They showered me with shameless flattery and compliments. I didn't care. I gave them a few dry responses and walked past them. As soon as I sat down, a familiar, disgusting voice echoed next to me. "Well, well, Leo. Who would've thought a quiet loser like you would be treated like a saint today?" My direct supervisor, Jack, strolled over, his face twisted in a smug, mocking grin. He intentionally tilted his chin up, showing off his score of 63. It wasn't high, but it was safely above the danger zone. "But so what if your moral score is high? In this corporate world, it’s all about connections." "A guy with no family backing like you will always be a nobody. You are destined to be stepped on by me. Your hard work is just a stepping stone for my promotion." Jack didn't even try to hide his malice. Because his uncle, Arthur, was a vice president at the company, Jack had been riding my coat-tails for years. He took my hard work, my project proposals, and my technical breakthroughs, claiming them all as his own. If it weren't for his uncle's corrupt influence, I would have had his job a long time ago. Logically, for someone who bullied coworkers and stole their work, Jack's moral score should have been much lower. But then I realized the [Moral Rating System] had its own loopholes. Workplace bullying was bad, but it was something that could be offset by throwing money at charities or doing community service. Jack had probably spent a fortune doing charity work lately just to keep himself above 60. But for unforgivable sins like murder, sexual assault, or extreme betrayal like cheating on a spouse, no amount of charity could save you. I cast a cold glance at him. "Jack, don't get too ahead of yourself. The higher you climb, the harder you fall." Jack laughed. "Fall? No, no, no. I'm only going up. I'll be taking that Project Manager promotion today. And really, I have to thank you for providing the strategy and tech for it." Finally, it was time to announce the promotions. Our CEO, Richard Sterling, cleared his throat and addressed the room. "Now, I am proud to announce our new Project Manager..." Jack adjusted his tie, his arrogant smile practically splitting his face. He shot me a triumphant look. "Leo!" The room went dead silent for a second, then erupted into thunderous applause. Jack's smile froze. Absolute shock and disbelief washed over his face. He stood up, yelling, "Impossible! This is a mistake! Mr. Sterling, you must have read the wrong name! How could a loser like him get the job?!" Richard Sterling’s face darkened instantly. His eyes were cold as ice as he glared at Jack. "Jack, watch your mouth. Don't think I don't know about the disgusting things you and your uncle have been doing behind my back!" "Stealing your subordinates' work, undermining talented employees, and embezzling company funds. You two are cancers to this company!" "I am officially announcing the immediate termination of Jack and his uncle, Arthur. Furthermore, we are turning all evidence of their fraud over to the police!" Security guards marched in immediately, dragging the pale, trembling Jack and Arthur out of the room. It was incredibly satisfying. After dealing with them, Richard Sterling's face instantly broke into a warm, almost desperate smile. He hurried over to me. As he got closer, I saw the bright red, glowing number above his head: 23. A 23! How utterly corrupt do you have to be to get a 23? God only knows how many illegal and disgusting things this man had done in secret. The only reason he was promoting me and kissing my ass was because of that death sentence floating above his head. He wanted my protection. "Leo! Or should I say, Manager Leo!" Richard grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically. "The company has always valued your talent! It was just those corrupt parasites holding you back!" "You deserve this promotion. The future of this company is in your hands now!" I felt zero guilt or awkwardness receiving his flattery. The value I had brought to this company over the years far exceeded this title and salary. I earned this. But Richard’s brown-nosed behavior didn't stop there. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Leo, to show my personal apology for how you've been treated, I've personally wired you a special bonus. Check your account." I pulled out my phone. A Venmo notification popped up: *Richard Sterling sent you $1,000,000.* One million dollars! I sneered inwardly. He was certainly generous when his life was on the line. Just as I was about to speak, my phone buzzed again. It was a message from my tech friend. I tapped it, and my pupils dilated instantly: "Leo, I found the guy. Your wife's lover is your boss, Richard Sterling."