Chapter 6
1697 Words
Chapter 6
The rooftop suicide incident burst into the world with thunder—and vanished just as dramatically.
With a touch of subtle enchantment, Serena Vale cleared the girl’s mind completely.
The fourteen-year-old, soft and timid, tearfully apologized to Ethan Reed, Lily Rowan, and everyone who had worried for her in front of the entire nation.
Young, naïve, willing to admit fault.
Even if people wanted to scold her, no one could bring themselves to do it.
At most, they muttered that she should learn to think before acting impulsively.
At the same time, the news that Ethan Reed was married swept across the internet like a gale.
Not only were his fans stunned—
even people within the industry froze in disbelief.
A male star who was quite close to Ethan was ambushed by reporters. They asked if he knew about Ethan’s marriage, and what he thought of “Mrs. Reed.”
Scratching his head, the man gaped.
“He’s married? Since when? Who’s his wife?”
The reporter: “……” = =
That night, Serena Vale’s identity and social media account were dug up completely.
The heiress of the Vale family—
a genuine, textbook example of a rich, beautiful, privileged daughter.
The original Serena’s account only had a few hundred followers, all Ethan Reed’s fans, because…
she herself had been a lovestruck fangirl, posting nothing but content about Ethan—pure, harmless, utterly devoted.
After today, Serena’s face alone drew in a tidal wave of new fans.
Her voice drew in an entire legion of voice-lovers.
And now her background?
A princess matched with a prince.
Perfect.
Even Ethan’s stubborn “loli fans,” unwilling as they were, had to admit defeat.
Twenty years of childhood sweetheart history—
Who could compete with that?
No one.
Night deepened. Neon lights painted the city in layers of color.
Inside a secluded café’s private booth, Serena Vale sipped a sweet cappuccino.
Across from her sat Ethan Reed and Lily Rowan—both exhausted and dazed.
Serena pretended not to notice.
She smiled softly at the pale little white lotus.
“Rou Rou, don’t worry. Ethan and I will handle everything.”
“Thank you… Miss Vale.”
“Pfft! With our relationship, why call me Miss Vale? Just call me by my name.”
Serena’s mood was positively radiant.
“This… I don’t think that’s appropriate…”
“Why not? Ethan is your friend, so naturally you’re my friend too. I’ve said it so many times—don’t be so formal.”
Lily’s lashes trembled.
A complicated bitterness twisted in her chest.
Her fingers, icy and trembling, clutched her cup for warmth.
“T-then… I’ll call you Nan Nan. I’m really sorry… this whole incident caused you trouble. But Ethan and I…”
Her voice faltered painfully.
“…there’s nothing between us. We were drunk… I tripped… the kiss was just an accident.”
“I believe you both.” Serena’s smile bloomed brightly.
Ethan shot her a look—
How could she be so stupid?
She believed whatever she heard?
“I’ve grown up with Ethan,” Serena continued gently.
“I know his nature well. He has a bad temper, and he can be arrogant—”
Ethan couldn’t help letting out a sharp “Hey!”
Serena glanced at him, then turned the knife gracefully.
“But he is fundamentally a good man. Cheating while married—
That’s something I trust he would never do.”
Her trusting gaze sent a sharp pang of guilt through Ethan Reed.
He lowered his head.
Even seeing Lily’s wounded expression didn’t give him the courage to speak.
Serena, ever the consummate actress, played the virtuous, tolerant wife to perfection—
slipping in childhood anecdotes
that sounded like complaints
but were, in truth, subtle displays of intimacy.
Lily’s face grew paler and paler—
as though she might faint at any moment.
She still remembered the humiliation Serena had given her at that party.
To her, Serena was arrogant, domineering, malicious.
She believed Ethan had simply been deceived by Serena’s façade.
And Lily herself?
She never felt guilty for courting a married man.
She believed she was pursuing “true love.”
Ethan had the right to choose the woman he loved.
An unloving marriage only caused suffering.
“Nan Nan… I’m not feeling well. I’ll go home first.”
Lily fled the café, covering her mouth as tears spilled down her cheeks.
She thought Ethan was awful—
letting Serena “bully” her like that.
Serena Vale, who had simply been recounting “innocent little stories”:
“……”
Once Lily left, the atmosphere shifted sharply.
Ethan drained his coffee and snapped,
“Serena Vale, did you forget our agreement? We said you couldn’t reveal our marriage without my permission. Don’t even think of playing tricks. I will never fall in love with you.”
He had figured it out—
Serena must still be in love with him.
Her sudden coldness these two months was merely post-argument rebellion.
And now, realizing that marriage couldn’t hold him, she was using a new, calculated strategy to get his attention.
Ethan Reed knew his own charm.
Serena had liked him for over a decade—how could she possibly “stop liking” him overnight?
A moment ago, he had felt a trace of guilt.
Now, with his ego reassured, that guilt morphed into smugness.
“You crossed the line,” he declared proudly.
“Would you have solved today’s chaos without me?”
“……”
“No thank you?”
“……”
“Forget it. Boring.”
Her warm smile vanished—
replaced with pure, icy indifference.
She looked him up and down
and laughed.
“Confidence is admirable.
But once it’s excessive, it becomes delusion.”
Love Ethan Reed?
What a joke.
Play with him?
Perhaps.
Serena picked up her bag and headed for the door.
“Let me know a day in advance if a joint statement is needed.
If it’s same-day, I won’t show up.”
Only when she was long gone
did Ethan Reed truly comprehend her attitude.
The whole country was now invested in his marriage.
Serena had gained the approval of most fans.
Appearing with her on variety shows, acting affectionate, becoming a model couple—
would boost his popularity immensely.
He chuckled.
Claim she doesn’t love him?
And yet she was trying everything to stay by his side.
Over the next several days, Serena accompanied Ethan to multiple interview shows.
Her speech was elegant, her posture perfect.
With her siren-enhanced beauty and voice, she enchanted viewers effortlessly.
Her pure face paired with those seductive almond eyes—
one upward tilt of her lashes could steal a soul.
She accumulated fans at an explosive pace.
A random Weibo post could hit ten thousand shares.
A photo of her face could exceed fifty thousand.
A legion of shameless, devoted face-slaves.
Ethan’s fans adored her.
Handsome man + gorgeous wife = perfect!
Meanwhile, Lily Rowan was faring much worse.
Though the “scandal” had been “clarified,”
everyone remembered that kiss.
And with someone as stunning as Serena Vale standing beside Ethan,
netizens found it impossible to believe he would ever look twice at Lily.
Obviously Lily was shameless—
using Serena’s friendship to get close to Ethan.
But then Serena posted on Weibo, saying she trusted Lily and asking fans not to overthink things.
Serena’s loyal fans cried in bathrooms.
Their goddess was too innocent—
too easily deceived.
They had to guard her.
Protect her.
Shield her.
Responsibility intensified their loyalty—
and her fanbase doubled again.
Serena watched the situation unfold with deep satisfaction.
She deliberately acted clingy and brainless around Ethan Reed.
His brief interest in her evaporated instantly.
He recoiled from her like she were a buzzing fly.
Men.
Useless creatures, one and all.
But this was exactly what she wanted.
If Ethan didn’t get together with Lily Rowan,
how could she catch them in the act?
As for Adrian Reed—
Serena had been too busy filming shows to bother him.
So he came to her first, asking—
for the first time ever—
how she was doing.
Late at night.
Ethan Reed lay in the suite arranged by the program team.
There were two rooms—one large, one small—
but only one bathroom.
And inside that bathroom—
the shower was running.
That woman was bathing inside.
Ethan adjusted the air-conditioning two degrees cooler.
Phone in hand, he scrolled mindlessly,
his mind drifting far, far away.
Lily Rowan called, her voice soft and tender.
He responded only with absent-minded hums—
his gaze repeatedly drawn toward the bathroom door.
His wife.
Looking twice was… normal, right?
A man’s heart—or lack thereof—
a woman could always feel it.
Lily’s breath hitched.
Her eyes flickered with calculation before she began to cry softly.
“Ethan… the comments online hurt so much.
Am I really a bad woman?
I… I love you so much.
I can’t control myself.
Is love really a mistake?
I know I can’t compare to Miss Vale.
I never wanted to ruin your marriage.
I just want to watch you from afar…
to see you happy…
Is that… truly too much to hope for?”
A beautiful woman’s affection—even when unreciprocated—
could inflate a man’s pride beyond reason.
And such humble devotion?
Ethan was deeply moved.
“Rou Rou… don’t belittle yourself.
In my heart, you’re a thousand times better than Serena—”
He choked on his words.
The bathroom door opened.
Serena Vale stepped out, draped in a white bathrobe—
half her soft chest and gleaming legs exposed,
her skin glowing like polished jade.
Her freshly bathed face was flushed with heat,
bare of any makeup—
pure as lotus rising from clear water, breathtaking enough to make a man forget how to breathe.
Ethan Reed swallowed hard.
He reacted instantly.
Author’s Note:
Ethan Reed [lower abdomen burning, ready to sin]: I think this is fine.
Adrian Reed [gentle smile, murderous aura]: I think not.
- Writer
