Sophia glanced at her wristwatch. Time was tight.

She stopped Ethan from calling the waiter. "Let's eat here. Changing rooms would take too long."

Zane immediately understood.

He stood up and pulled Iris away from the pot where she was fishing for beef balls. "Take your time, sis. We'll go next door."

Iris grumbled, "Why switch? I'm starving!"

Zane simply hauled her out of the private room.

In the new room, Iris glared at the menu, fuming.

Zane smirked around his cigarette. "It's a miracle you've survived this long with your EQ. What do you do for a living?"

Iris propped her chin on her hand lazily. "Grave robber."

Zane nearly fell off his chair.

He coughed violently. "No wonder your social skills suck. You spend all day with corpses."

"What about you?" Iris rolled her eyes.

Zane flicked his ashes. "Trust-fund brat coasting through life."

Iris burst out laughing.

She leaned in conspiratorially. "Want to join me in raiding the First Emperor's tomb? One heist could set you up for life."

Zane's hand jerked, almost dropping his cigarette.

He pulled out his phone. "911? There's a tomb raider here plotting to loot an imperial mausoleum."

Iris lunged for his phone.

In the scuffle, she stumbled and fell onto him.

Their eyes locked. Breath mingled.

For a moment, Zane thought this idiot was kind of cute.

Must be the lighting.

Iris felt his body react and scrambled up. "You pervert!"

Any lingering thoughts vanished from Zane's mind.

He tossed her the phone. "Relax. I didn't actually call."

Iris yanked his hair in retaliation. "You bastard! How dare you mess with me!"

Zane dodged, laughing. "If you ever get married, I'll take your last name!"

Meanwhile, Ethan was feeding Sophia shrimp paste.

"I can feed myself," she protested.

"I like doing it," he insisted, holding another bite to her lips.

They took turns feeding each other, stealing kisses between bites.

The air grew thick with saccharine sweetness.

A week later.

Sophia's real estate endorsement campaign launched citywide.

Giant billboards featuring her elegant image appeared on every corner.

Presales for "Scholastic Gardens" exploded.

The school district project, named by Victor himself, used the cringeworthy slogan "One city, two rivers, three elementary schools, four middle schools." Yet Sophia's sophisticated image somehow made it wildly popular.

On opening day, the sales office was packed.

Sophia donated her entire five-million-yuan endorsement fee to an orphanage.

That weekend, she and Ethan visited the facility.

The director greeted them warmly. "Mr. Sullivan, what an honor! You should've given us notice."

Ethan pulled Sophia closer. "My wife wanted to make the donation."

Sophia smiled faintly.

The director's eyes lit up. "Shall we arrange press? We could host a formal ceremony."

"No need," Sophia declined. "We'll just see the children briefly."

The director sighed. "Few philanthropists are as genuine as you."

In the playroom, Sophia froze.

Isabella was posing with a frail little girl for photos.

Spotting Ethan, she brightened. "Ethan!"

She dropped the child and rushed over.

Ethan swiftly positioned a bodyguard as a shield.

Isabella collided squarely with the guard's chest.

The guard flushed scarlet.

Isabella's face darkened like burnt toast.