It was Chloe.

"You were aggressively speeding just now. Furthermore, operating a motor vehicle while wearing high heels of that height is a definitive violation of traffic regulations."

Chloe let out a sharp, dismissive chuckle:

"Look at your pathetic, impoverished state. A piece of garbage vehicle like this wouldn't even be accepted by me if it were gifted for free, yet it looks like it's completely broken your fragile heart."

I harbored zero desire to waste my breath exchanging syllables with her, preparing to place a call to my insurance company.

Before my fingers could finish dialing the digits, Julian's incoming call intercepted my screen.

"Why haven't you arrived yet? Weren't you trailing directly behind my vehicle a moment ago?"

"My car was just involved in a collision."

A suffocating silence hung on the line for a split second, before his voice exploded with intense panic:

"Are you injured anywhere? What is your exact location?!"

"Right at the main security gates of our estate."

Barely three minutes elapsed before the massive silhouette of his black Mercedes G-Wagon careened into view, screeching to a halt.

Julian vaulted down from the driver's seat, systematically examining every single inch of my physical form to ensure I was completely unharmed, only letting out a long sigh of relief once he verified I was fine.

"Julian?"

Chloe glided over, tossing out a tentative, testing greeting.

Julian snapped his head around to face her.

Perhaps due to the reality that her features were entirely masked by the massive sunglasses, he failed to recognize her identity initially.

"Who the hell are you?"

Chloe smoothly slid the sunglasses down her nose, her eyes gleaming with a brilliant light as her voice instantly shifted into a melody that was several degrees gentler than her previous tone:

"I am Chloe."

Julian trained a calculating gaze upon her for several long seconds, before shifting his eyes to analyze the sports car idling behind her frame.

"Is that your vehicle?"

"Yes, it is."

"How exactly do you navigate a car? Is operating a motor vehicle while wearing stilettos of that height something you consider acceptable?"

Chloe's expression withered slightly, shrugging her shoulders with a playful, submissive pout.

"It's not like I engineered the accident on purpose."

"Have you initiated a claim with the insurance provider yet?" Julian directed the question toward me.

"I haven't had the spare moment to execute the call yet."

I promptly dialed the insurance firm, delivering a concise summary of the vehicular circumstances before systematically capturing photographic evidence of the accident scene.

The severity of the structural damage inflicted upon my vehicle wasn't overly catastrophic.

However, it would definitively require a complete replacement of the front bumper, and one of the primary headlight assemblies had been utterly shattered.

Moving forward.

The process simply required me to find a spare day to transport the vehicle to the authorized dealership for repairs.

"Julian, what is your personal contact number? Let's exchange details on WeChat."

Just as we prepared to depart, Chloe abruptly reached out to clutch Julian's arm, her face brimming with an aggressive, enthusiastic warmth.

"There is absolutely no need for that. The insurance adjusters will place a call to your device directly. We can simply allow the official legal protocol to handle the matter."

Julian delivered the refusal with a perfectly rigid, corporate coldness.

The icy dismissal left Chloe stamping her feet in a wild frenzy of pure frustration.

29

What a shame.

My brand-new car was involved in a collision on its third day out on the road.

I had even specially waited for several months just to acquire this new MINI.

It was utterly depressing.

I didn't even harbor much of an appetite for dinner.

It wasn't until past ten o'clock that Julian knocked on my bedroom door.

He was holding a steaming hot bowl of noodles in his hands.

"Still in a bad mood?"

"What's wrong?"

Julian stepped inside, placing the bowl of noodles onto my study desk.

"Didn't you barely touch your dinner? I had Auntie Zhang whip up a bowl of noodles."

"No way, consuming food at this hour is the absolute easiest way to gain weight."

"You are already so slender, it wouldn't matter in the slightest even if you gained a bit of weight."

"One must nip it in the bud. If I make an exception today, it's highly probable I'll make a second exception tomorrow."

Julian crossed his arms over his chest, watching me with a perfectly relaxed, composed expression.

"Two hundred dollars for a single bite."

How infuriating.

Only an absolute idiot would refuse to secure such easy financial funds.

"Deal."

I took exactly five bites, pocketing a thousand dollars, and resolutely put down the chopsticks.

"You don't harbor a desire to secure more funds than that?"

A faint smile curled onto his lips, patiently continuing to coax me:

"Have another sip of the broth too."

I shook my head with absolute resolution.

Consuming broth was the easiest way to gain weight.

Julian contemplated the matter for a moment, before offering a suggestion:

"How about you operate my vehicle for the time being? Once your driving skills are thoroughly polished, I'll purchase another brand-new MINI for you."

Operating his massive Mercedes G-Wagon?

"Forget it, I wouldn't even be able to afford the fuel expenses."

"Fuel expenses fully reimbursed, routine maintenance fully reimbursed, and insurance premiums fully reimbursed. Is that satisfactory?"

"I harbor an absolute lack of interest in operating such aggressive, massive vehicles. I simply adore the MINI."

Otherwise, I wouldn't have waited for several months.

Julian couldn't resist reaching out to gently massage the crown of my head, exactly as though he were petting a puppy.

"Then you can simply continue to operate this current one. Whenever you grow tired of it, I'll purchase an identical brand-new vehicle to replace it. Will that suffice?"

...

Since the astronomically wealthy young master had already stated it in such terms.

I had no choice but to agree.

30

The following day at noon.

Two colleagues and I had just emerged from the corporate office building, locked in a discussion regarding our lunch destination, when we were abruptly halted by a voice calling out.

"Oh, Clara! It turns out you actually work here as well."

I lifted my eyes.

An expression of absolute bewilderment anchored my features.

What a complete nightmare—how on earth was Chloe here?

The elderly security guard let out a massive sigh of relief.

"Miss Clara, you've arrived at the perfect moment. This young lady has been adamantly insisting on marching upstairs to track down Manager Julian."

Catching sight of me, Chloe acted completely familiar without a shred of awkwardness:

"Clara, what floor is your brother on? What is his personal contact number?"

In my previous life.

Chloe had crossed paths with Julian for the absolute first time during my wedding ceremony with Christian, instantaneously developing a fierce romantic interest in him before initiating a relentless pursuit.

In this timeline, they could technically be considered childhood acquaintances who had grown up in the same vicinity, albeit having not laid eyes on one another for several years.

To think that this exact plot point would materialize regardless.

I questioned her with absolute neutrality: "Do you possess an official matter to discuss with him?"

"Naturally."

"What is the nature of the matter?"

"Why on earth should I disclose that to you?" She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Oh, then why on earth should I disclose his contact number to you?"

"You..."

Just as my two colleagues and I prepared to step away, her voice exploded behind our backs once more to halt our footsteps.

"Clara, don't tell me you've actually developed romantic designs on your brother Julian?"

"I truly couldn't tell. You maintain such a pure, innocent facade on the surface, yet who knows what kind of seduction tactics you're employing against him behind closed doors at home."

I hadn't anticipated that Chloe had degenerated to a point of possessing absolutely zero upbringing.

Despite spending six entire years residing within the United Kingdom, she appeared to have achieved absolutely zero personal growth.

"How about we head out to enjoy some Chaozhou claypot rice?"

I tightly gripped my two colleagues' arms and marched further away, completely refusing to grant her any attention.

Throughout the subsequent days, Chloe systematically attempted to position herself within Julian's vicinity.

Failing to corner him within the corporate building.

She proceeded to march directly to our residence.

To be perfectly frank, I considered her incredibly shameless.

Because as long as an individual wasn't completely blind, it was blindingly obvious that Julian harbored an absolute, total lack of romantic interest toward her.

He was practically avoiding her presence as though she were a venomous serpent.

Yet, by some miracle, Chloe happened to be that exact blind individual.

Forcing myself to pursue a man to such an absolute extreme was something I could never bring myself to execute.

31

The ultimate turning point in the circumstances materialized on an evening when Sera escorted Lawrence back to the J family residence for dinner.