Chapter 5: Unnecessary Gossip

Her words carried a subtle, heavy layer of hidden meaning.

Daisy was genuinely curious: "For instance?"

Ethan cast a glance at her, speaking in an unhurried tone: "For instance... pressing my hand against your school uniform skirt to feel it."

Daisy: "..."

The whole skirt-touching incident clearly had a perfectly valid reason behind it, so why did it sound like a scene straight out of a campus 18+ movie when it came out of his mouth?!

This man's mouth was far too wicked!

They weren't the only two people in the car. The driver was obviously well-trained, keeping the car driving straight forward without the slightest sway or wobble.

However, the shoulders of the assistant named Shawn sitting in the front passenger seat vibrated noticeably, as if he had been caught completely off-guard by the shock.

Daisy took out her frustration on him, thinking to herself: *What kind of professional standards does this assistant have? He's far too unaccustomed to the ways of the world.*

Still, the main culprit was the dog of a man sitting right beside her, who appeared so refined and gentle on the surface.

To think she had actually felt a brief moment of gratitude earlier, thinking he was helping her vent her anger and silently granting him a bonus point... Now she was deducting it straight into the negative numbers!

"Brother Ethan must be joking. Did such a thing actually happen? I don't seem to remember at all," Daisy maintained her demure elegance. "In short, that's all in the past. Why don't we turn the page?"

Though her words sounded soft and appropriate, Daisy was thinking in her heart: *Ethan, if you know what's good for you, you'll shut your mouth right now. If we don't turn the page, I'm really going to flip out.* : )

Fortunately, Ethan didn't continue pushing his luck. He let out a quiet "Mm," resting his fingers on the armrest box between them and giving it a gentle, rhythmic tap.

A faint, fleeting smile seemed to brush past the corners of his lips.

Daisy didn't pay much attention to it.

Outside the window, the scenery retreated at lightning speed. She turned her head to look outside, remaining completely silent.

Of course, her inner thoughts were nowhere near as serene and peaceful as her peaceful outward appearance; she was wildly venting in her mind about Ethan's tactlessness and sheer arrogance.

And she swore once more: she had to stay completely sharp and not give Ethan a single opening to reminisce about the past.

Reasoning through it like this, Daisy calmed down slightly.

Then, for some reason, the image of Chloe's stunned, unwilling expression from earlier suddenly replayed in her mind—

Alright, fine. Although Ethan was a total jerk, Daisy had to admit that at the exact moment she announced their wedding in front of her arch-nemesis and "romantic rival," her vanity had been thoroughly satisfied.

---

By late March, the unpredictable weather in North City finally began to reveal the subtle warmth of spring.

Over the weekend, Daisy didn't step foot outside, staying curled up in her study to draw the bonus easter egg illustrations for her upcoming personal artbook collection.

She had studied painting for many years and had opened a Weibo account back in her university days to upload works featuring her distinct personal style.

Her circle of friends had always been incredibly supportive, taking turns sharing and cheering for her posts.

Among them were plenty of famous influencers and rich young heirs; as a result, her path to fame had been far smoother than anyone else's.

During her junior year of university, her Weibo follower count had officially passed one million. Gradually, her reputation grew to the point where anime and gaming companies began knocking on her door for collaborations.

However, she didn't bother managing her account with much business ambition. Since she didn't rely on it to earn a living anyway, publishing a few personal artbooks occasionally as keepsakes was purely a personal hobby.

At ten o'clock, Daisy stretched her arms, grabbed her phone from the side, and began admiring her daily dose of sweet, complimentary fan comments, not forgetting to take screenshots to save them.

Then, she posted a cool, aloof notice: **【Leaving for personal matters. Return date to be determined.】**

Within seconds, the comment section exploded into a wall of wailing fans.

---

The "personal matters" Daisy referred to were, of course, her wedding.

Ethan had returned to the country abruptly, and with the wedding date fast approaching, Daisy had been preparing for the ceremony since late last month.

Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about the heavy logistics. Aside from meeting the parents, all she needed to do was tirelessly browse jewelry, wedding dresses, luxury bags, and bridal shoes every single day—shuttling back and forth between major luxury boutiques and high-fashion haute couture ateliers.

These were things Daisy genuinely enjoyed.

Even if her partner in marriage was a mere compromise, the wedding dress—which, barring any accidents, she would only wear once in her lifetime—could absolutely never be compromised on.

The haute couture jewelry and bridal ateliers were located in Paris, and Daisy traveled between the two cities with a Gulfstream private jet standing by for her transportation.

Back in early March was the very first time they went to view wedding dresses.

Ethan had managed to carve out time to accompany her on that trip, putting on a full performance of a "model fiancé" in front of Mrs. Lee. His behavior had made Daisy suspect he was possessed by some bizarre entity, leaving her feeling uncomfortable all over.

Luckily, however, that was the only single time he joined.

For the subsequent formal gowns, fine jewelry, and bridal shoes, they were either delivered directly to her by atelier staff for selection, or Daisy flew over to settle them herself.

Without Ethan accompanying her, she thoroughly enjoyed her freedom and ease.

---

Over the past few days, there had been quite a few messages on WeChat.

Daisy had possessed a wide social circle since childhood. Knowing that she was getting married, her friends flocked over one after another to inquire about the situation. Some who had caught wind of the news earlier sent direct congratulations, while others teased her for keeping it secret for so long before quietly marrying herself off.

In truth, it wasn't as if no one knew about the marriage arrangement normally. But for one, Daisy rarely brought it up, and whenever she did, it was treated as a fleeting joke; secondly, even if it were real, Ethan had been gone for nine whole years, looking in every way like he had no intention of fulfilling the commitment.

It wasn't until Daisy suddenly announced her impending marriage out of nowhere that everyone remembered she actually carried such a betrothal—and that her partner was none other than Ethan Vance.

Some with good memories recalled that back in high school, there seemed to have been a subtle spark between the two of them. Could it be that they had never broken off contact all these years?

Someone even made a bold hypothesis: *Ethan returned to the country in February and is getting married in June... Could she be pregnant?!*

By the time Daisy opened her phone, the unread messages had already accumulated to 99+.

*This crowd of people...*

In the short time it took her to get a hand spa treatment, how on earth had they managed to chatter about so much nonsense?

Daisy scrolled down through the messages line by line. When she saw the "pregnant" comment, she let out a cold sneer, tagged that friend directly, and dumped a barrage of fiercely aggressive meme stickers into the chat.

With that move, the previous messages were washed away thousands of miles out of sight, leaving a clean chat history.

Once the chat page was thoroughly cleared out, she typed out word by word: **【Commercial marriage. No feelings. No pregnancy. Anyone who spread rumors, hurry up and send me RED PACKETS!】**

The sisters who had been actively bubbling up in the chat instantly vanished without a trace.

After a moment, a red packet labeled "Daisy, please calm your wrath" popped up. Then a second, a third, a fourth... popped out in succession.

Daisy: **【...Seriously, this group chat can just be disbanded.】**

*All they do all day long is spread rumors and cause trouble.*

---

A few days later, Daisy went to attend a small party together with Kou. The host was none other than the group chat leader, 音 (Yin), who was also the person who had spread the "pregnant" rumor last time.

Yin and Daisy had been university classmates, and their relationship had been exceptionally good ever since.

The party was held at a private villa owned by the Xie family located in Dongshan, surrounded by water on all four sides with exquisite scenery. Daisy went over early to help her review the indoor and outdoor decorations.

There wasn't really a specific theme for today. If one had to be named, it was that Yin insisted on proving that their little group chat was capable of doing actual real things besides gossiping.

For example, cementing their sisterhood through dining and entertainment—a purpose so grand and far-reaching that the group could absolutely not be disbanded.

Daisy warned her sternly: "If you gossip about me and Ethan ever again, I'm leaving the group!"

"Alright, alright, my lady, I was wrong. Wasn't I just following along with what others were saying?" Yin held up her hands in surrender. "Help me take a look at what should be placed here. Flowers or wine? Or photo albums of my husbands?"

Yin had recently been obsessed with a South Korean boy group, flying overseas every few days and attending every single concert without fail, far more diligently than local young Korean girls.

She had also desperately tried to pitch the group to Daisy, though unfortunately, Daisy didn't care for that particular style of looks.

"Now I finally know why you don't like my idols," Yin sighed, caressing the photo album. "With President Vance setting such a brilliant standard before you, it's completely understandable that your standards are high."

Daisy wanted to refute her, but for some reason, her words got stuck in her throat.

During that chance encounter at the pub last time, she had indeed taken a few extra glances at Ethan.

*Could it be that after nine years had passed, she hadn't made a single bit of progress at all?*

Thinking about it like this made her feel inexplicably annoyed.

---

Everyone who came today was a close friend she usually hung out with. Knowing that Daisy and Ethan didn't have a deep romantic foundation, no one brought up the topic during the party.

Yin had hired a private chef from one of her family's hotels to manage the food, and had coaxed a mixologist from Leo's place.

Everyone ate, drank, and played games together; the atmosphere was lively and harmonious.

During the post-dinner break, Yin subtly squeezed in her personal interests by playing several music videos of the boy group.

On the massive living room screen, handsome men with eye-catching physiques executed synchronized, rhythmic dance moves. Paired with the villa's surround sound system, the energy was quickly elevated.

Having had a bit of alcohol, Daisy walked straight over and took center stage in front of the sofa. She made a loose gesture of tugging an imaginary necktie, her hand gliding fluidly downward to strike her shoulder, waist, and leg in sync with the heavy beats of the music.

With her dark, cascading curls and eyes gleaming with shifting radiance between every smile, her captivating, glamorous aura unfolded entirely.

"Thank goodness there are no men here today, otherwise blood would probably be flowing like a river." Kou instinctively covered her nose.

The latter half of the song ended on a heavy bass note. Daisy held her pose for a few seconds, tilted her head slightly, and flashed a smile as she hooked her fingers toward them in a playful beckoning gesture.

As a result, Yin—who had originally planned to have everyone sit together, admire her idols' handsome faces, and scream—could only watch helplessly as her sisters, as if under a spell, tumbled off the sofa and started dancing together in a tangled crowd.

By the end, everyone was so hyped up that the private villa had transformed completely into a lively dance club.

As the saying goes: *Women are far better at charming other women.*

And those words certainly held true.

Chapter 6: A Late-Night Pick-Up

Once she danced until she was tired, Daisy sat down to rest and casually checked her phone.

Unexpectedly, Ethan had sent her a message half an hour ago, asking if she was finished.

They weren't even married yet, and he was already checking up on her location?

Dais

Chapter 7: The Secret Embroidered on the Wedding Dress

A while later, Daisy received a phone call from the atelier informing her that her wedding dress was officially finished, asking whether she would come to pick it up in person or have an assistant sent to deliver it.

Coincidentally, having bee