Under the warm, honey-colored lights, a broad-shouldered man was pressed over a woman. The pose on screen was so intimate it made Lydia Ashford’s face heat up. She instinctively lifted her milk tea to block part of the scene. But the second she lowered it again, she saw the curvy, seductive woman flip over and pin the man beneath her.

"Be good. This time, I’m on top~"

That soft, teasing moan sent a jolt straight through Lydia, even from behind the screen. If she felt it this hard, the man under her was probably already losing it.

"Naughty." The man’s low, breathy voice came out drenched in indulgence, almost like a drug. For someone like Lydia, who had a serious weakness for good voices, it was basically fatal.

Pale skin. A figure impossible to ignore. A body so perfect it looked unreal. And that all-out performance. Her moans only grew more suggestive by the second... Then the camera slowly tilted down, and Xavier Langford’s face appeared clearly on the screen.

The milk tea in Lydia’s hand slipped and hit the floor.

She called him right away. His assistant picked up instead. It was noisy on the other end, but through the chaos she could vaguely tell they were at some interview event.

"Mr. Langford, we heard that after filming Sweet Thrill, you started seeing the popular actress Ms. Whitmore. Is that true?"

The man’s reply was as polished and gentlemanly as ever. "Well... I can only say I’m still trying. After all, Ms. Whitmore isn’t someone who says yes to just anyone."

Clap! Crack!

A wave of cheering instantly erupted from the audience below.

Even people passing by on the street couldn’t stop exclaiming, "See? I told you, only a refined, gentle man like Mr. Langford is worthy of Celeste Whitmore."

"Exactly, exactly. The two of them were so sweet in Sweet Thrill. Who knows, maybe in real life they’re just as hot—"

Every single word that reached Lydia’s ears felt like a slap to the face.

Her boyfriend had secretly taken on a drama with explicit scenes with another woman, and never said a word to her. She only found out after it aired. And now, in a public interview, he was openly admitting he was pursuing that woman.

Xavier Langford, maybe you think you’re some big deal, but Lydia Ashford is not cheap either.

She really couldn’t take it anymore. Watching him roll around in bed with another woman on national television hadn’t even made her this furious. Between two people, if there wasn’t even the most basic respect or equality, then what was the point of staying together?

She hung up, opened her messages, typed fast, and hit send in one clean motion.

"Let’s break up."

Three seconds later, her phone rang with that painfully familiar ringtone.

Lydia Ashford didn’t even think twice. She cut the call and strode forward.

But the person on the other end kept calling.

By the time her patience snapped, she grabbed the phone and answered, shouting, "Xavier Langford, are you serious right now? Can’t we just end this without making it ugly? From now on, whoever you want to fake-date, whatever actress you want to stir up gossip with, go ahead. I’m done interfering..."

"Lydia, don’t get worked up. Where are you?"

The voice on the other end was clean and clear, just like Xavier himself, gentle and polished, the kind that used to make people think he was all class.

But for the first time, Lydia felt sick hearing it.

Back then, the reason she had fallen for Xavier in the first place was exactly that voice, and that soft, refined image he wore so well. But now, looking back, all Lydia could think was that she must’ve been blind.

"Lydia, this was all arranged by the company. You really don’t need to be mad over this..."

"Xavier Langford, let me say this one more time. I’m not just mad about that. I’m mad that you lied to me. We’re not right for each other. Let’s break up..."

Lydia was crossing the street, yelling into the phone with rage boiling in her chest. The green light across from her flickered, then changed, but she didn’t notice at all...

Then came a loud "Bang!"

The brand-new phone flew out of her hand and hit the ground. Her whole body was thrown sideways, and in an instant, her mind went blank.

"Miss! Miss, are you okay? I’ll take you to the hospital right now." A luxury car had braked hard. Its sharply dressed driver rushed out, panic all over his face as he bent down to check on her.

"Hello? Hello...?" Xavier heard the chaos on the other end, totally confused, and kept trying to explain. "Lydia, I really didn’t lie to you."

But by then, Lydia had already been carried into a limited-edition luxury car.

Her smashed phone still lay on the ground, alone, letting out a lonely "Beep—beep—beep—..."

Golden sunlight spilled in from outside the window.

"It hurts."

Lydia pressed a hand to her head and sat up in bed.

Almost on instinct, she looked around at her surroundings and realized she was actually in a hospital.

Thinking back to that phone call with Xavier Langford, Lydia Ashford finally realized, a beat too late, just how insanely unlucky she’d been—she’d actually gotten hit by a car.

Her cheating boyfriend had barely finished wrecking her mood, and before she could even process it, she’d been sent straight to the hospital by a luxury car.

"Miss, are you awake?"

A nurse pushed a medical cart over. Seeing Lydia sit up, she smiled and handed her a note. "This was left by the gentleman who brought you here."

Lydia thanked her, then took the slip of paper.

Right then, the TV mounted on the hospital wall suddenly cut to a news report.

A familiar house. A familiar street. Even the tulips on both sides of the building looked painfully familiar.

The second Lydia saw it, her mind went blank with a loud internal boom.

Then that familiar voice came through the screen too.

"I’m Xavier Langford. I’m sorry I kept this from everyone for so long. The owner of the tea restaurant I’m standing in now is Lydia Ashford… my girlfriend."

Xavier Langford! You absolute jerk!

She truly hadn’t expected him to go public with their relationship in front of the media like that, and even drag reporters right to her home.

At this moment, her mother probably still had no clue what was going on.

What now? What was she supposed to do?

Please, don’t let them catch her mother on camera. If that person saw it, things would be completely screwed.

Thankfully, the shot flashed by fast. The camera only skimmed over the storefront, and after Xavier finished saying that, he left.

Lydia let out a long breath, but the next second her whole body tensed up again. She could already imagine the online comments blowing up right now. She’d definitely be dug into top to bottom, no privacy left at all.

She instinctively lowered her head and realized she still hadn’t read the note in her hand. Across the page, bold and unruly handwriting leaped out at her:

"To the unnamed miss, I’m sorry my driver knocked you unconscious. The doctor has examined you, and you’re fine. I’ve already paid your hospital fees, but I had to leave due to other matters. Signed: Chen."

Lydia sat up on the bed and carefully checked how she felt. Once she confirmed she was basically okay, she got ready to go handle her discharge.

Her bag was still sitting beside the bed, but her phone was gone—probably lost during the accident. She was so anxious her chest felt tight. So much had happened, and she still had no way to contact her mother right away. She had to get home fast and talk things through with her mom.

"Hello, miss. This is your refunded hospital deposit, and also three hundred thousand…"

The nurse at the payment window smiled sweetly as she handed over a black card.

Lydia froze on the spot.

What? Was this some kind of joke?

Still stunned, she took the card. Looking at the elegant gold trim along the edge, she paused, then asked the nurse, "Do you have the contact info for the person who brought me here?"

"Please wait a moment…" the nurse said, turning to check the computer.

By the roadside, Lydia bought herself a new phone. Then she dialed the number the nurse had given her.

"Hello…"