Chloe had marched over to the J residence to track down Julian, only to collide head-on with the exceptionally handsome and thoroughly charming Lawrence.

Her eyes instantaneously gleamed with a brilliant light.

It was the exact replica of her facial expression from the day she crossed paths with Julian.

Even as Sera formally introduced him, explicitly stating that he was her boyfriend, Lawrence.

The burning intensity anchoring Chloe's gaze failed to diminish by even a fraction of a degree.

As expected.

Following that milestone, the frequency of her arriving to ambush Julian dwindled to a palpable degree.

A handful of days later, Sera placed a call to my phone to disclose a particular development.

Her father had escorted Chloe to attend a dinner gathering alongside Lawrence and his father.

My brain failed to process the implication initially.

"Lawrence and his father? Your father is acquainted with them?"

"Evidently, they share an acquaintance."

"Why would he escort Chloe along? Isn't that a formal matchmaking dinner? Does your father remain oblivious to the reality that Lawrence is your boyfriend?"

"My father is completely oblivious; Chloe is the sole individual who possessed that knowledge."

I pondered the matter briefly.

"She must have suffered a ceaseless barrage of icy rejections from Julian recently, prompting her to shift her focus toward plundering your romantic relationship instead."

However, tracking the logic of someone as intensely superficial and realistic as Chloe, it was flatly impossible for her to execute such a maneuver simply because Lawrence possessed a handsome face.

"Are your boyfriend's household financial circumstances exceptionally elite?"

Sera let out a soft, weary sigh through the receiver:

"Mercy Hospital was established by his paternal grandfather."

Mercy Hospital was the most highly reputable, largest-scale private medical institution operating within our entire city boundaries.

So that was the underlying truth.

The scenario made perfect sense now.

Chloe's taste remained entirely consistent, a flawless replica of her past life.

She possessed a relentless adoration for second-generation heirs who were beautiful, handsome, and swathed in astronomical wealth.

"What do you intend to execute moving forward?"

"I am escorting Lawrence back to the C family residence for an official dinner tonight. My father should comprehend the reality instantly."

"Direct, head-on confrontation. That works beautifully."

Once evening descended.

Sera swiftly returned to report the magnificent fruits of her battlefield triumph.

She detailed that the exact instant she materialized within the C family mansion alongside Lawrence, her father's face was completely frozen in an absolute state of bewilderment.

Following the completion of introducing Lawrence's elite identity to the entire household, she had deliberately highlighted the detail that Chloe and Lawrence had already crossed paths previously at the J residence.

Her father's expression instantly darkened to a severe degree.

Concluding the dinner proceedings, her father escorted her to the exit, explicitly extending a profound apology to her.

He candidly confessed that he had previously escorted Chloe to attend a dinner alongside Director Lawrence and his son, yet during that milestone, he possessed absolutely zero knowledge regarding the reality that Lawrence was Sera's boyfriend.

Not stopping there, her father had even shouldered the burden of extending an apology on his other daughter Chloe's behalf as well.

Sera detailed that throughout the entire duration of the evening, Chloe's face was as black as thunder.

The sheer satisfaction of the outcome was indescribable.

I felt a profound wave of gratification washing over my chest:

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Our Sera is no longer that helpless, submissive little pushover from childhood who would simply absorb any bullying. This deserves a massive round of applause!"

"However, you must ensure you do not drop your guard. You are well aware of Chloe's fundamental character traits—she is intensely vindictive and profoundly petty. You must ensure you don't allow her an opportunity to orchestrate a trap against you."

Sera concurred with absolute gravity:

"I am well aware. Moving forward, I will systematically minimize my trips back to the C family residence to the absolute minimum."

"Any other matter could be negotiated, but Lawrence is a premium catch I exerted a monumental amount of raw effort to successfully hook. Do you honestly think securing a strikingly handsome, refined boyfriend within the exhausting ranks of a medical academy is an easy feat for me?"

32

Following that definitive defeat, Chloe completely abandoned any romantic designs targeting Lawrence.

She presumably harbored a desire to pivot her attention back toward entangling herself with Julian.

Unfortunately for her agenda, Julian had boarded a flight to proceed abroad on an international business assignment, and after failing to catch a glimpse of his shadow for several consecutive days, she had no choice but to desist.

My existence smoothed back into a placid, routine rhythm.

Day after day was consumed by commuting to the office, departing from the office, and navigating an endless barrage of massive corporate conferences and minor departmental meetings.

Conducting rigorous market field research, meticulously analyzing client requirements, drafting intricate product development blueprints, and orchestrating exhibition booth layouts kept me thoroughly and joyfully occupied.

The exact instant Julian returned from his international assignment and laid eyes on my physical form, his brows immediately knit together into a sharp frown.

"How on earth have you emaciated to such a degree? Are you completely omitting your daily meals?"

"A new product line launched into the market recently, so I failed to allocate a proper amount of attention toward it."

"No matter how suffocating the workload becomes, you must prioritize your meals. I am truly defeated by you. Let's get moving."

"Heading where?"

"Treating you to a formal dinner."

"What is the occasion for treating me to dinner?" I questioned with mild confusion.

Under normal circumstances, the two of us rarely ever elected to dine out at external restaurants.

Auntie Zhang's culinary mastery was an absolute force to be reckoned with, easily rivaling the elite execution of any five-star professional chef.

She systematically rotated a breathtaking array of diverse culinary styles for our plates every single day.

Most crucially of all, dining within the borders of our residence offered a level of cleanliness that far surpassed external commercial establishments.

Julian pondered the matter for a brief moment:

"Word has it that a new Western fine dining establishment commenced operations over along Central Avenue. Let's proceed to evaluate it."

Presented with the option, I could only consent.

This newly launched establishment occupied a stretch of territory where every single inch of land was worth its weight in solid gold, perched high in the sky on the 56th floor.

The interior aesthetic was intensely artistic, radiating a niche, meticulously curated refinement.

Positioned flush against the massive floor-to-ceiling glass panes, an individual could gaze down to absorb the sweeping nocturnal vistas of nearly the entire metropolitan sprawl.

As we prepared to select our courses, the elegant waitress operating our table chimed in:

"Dear sir, our Apex Western Restaurant is currently navigating a promotional soft opening phase. Any romantic couple arriving to dine at our establishment can enjoy an exclusive thirty percent discount on the final bill."

Julian, whose fingers were tracing the menu selections, froze for a split second, before his hand smoothly reached out to wrap firmly around my fingers.

"We are a romantic couple."

"Understood. If the two of you are perfectly willing to provide verification of that reality, I will apply the official promotional notation right now, allowing you to seamlessly enjoy the discount when settling the final balance later."

Verification?

I was left completely bewildered.

We actually required verification?

How on earth were we supposed to verify it?

Julian similarly experienced a mild freeze.

The waitress rushed to offer a polite explanation:

"My profound apologies. Ever since our establishment launched this exclusive couples' promotion, a vast multitude of individuals who do not share a romantic bond have attempted to masquerade as couples simply to exploit the discount. To completely eliminate the occurrence of such fraudulent behavior, all participating couples must provide self-verification. A gentle, brief kiss shared with your girlfriend will suffice perfectly."

A gentle, brief kiss?

Was that statement delivered in standard human language?

Just as my consciousness was locked in an intense debate over the exact implication of her words.

An infant dining at an adjacent table accidentally overturned a bowl of soup, sending the liquid cascading everywhere across the table surfaces and their garments.

The waitress overseeing our order hastily offered a brief "please excuse me," before rushing off toward the service counter at a breakneck pace, presumably executing a run to secure cleaning cloths.

Julian leaned his frame closer to my position, dropping his vocal register to a soft murmur:

"What should we execute?"

"Let's simply abandon the idea. This promotion isn't something we can exploit."

Julian let out a pair of soft, clearing coughs: "The maneuver can easily preserve at least two to three hundred dollars of our funds."

"Since when did you transform into such an absolute cheapskate?"

"Securing financial funds is no easy feat in the current economic climate."

That was a valid point.