"Grace Gordon and I are just neighbors, not childhood sweethearts."

"Is it really the time to get hung up on semantics?" Frederick Fairfax sulked, his voice full of grievance. "All you do is sweet-talk me but never mean it."

Olivia Young ruffled his hair. "Don't like to hear it?"

"I love it." He adored hearing her say sweet things—it felt good every time his wife coaxed him.

"If—just if—I chased you back then, would you have dumped Grace Gordon and chosen me?"

"I wouldn't have dated so young," Olivia Young dashed his hopeful gaze with brutal honesty. "I was a good kid who loved studying."

"I don't believe you."

"You're underestimating me, Frederick Fairfax. I was top of my grade—went to Harvard! What exactly are you questioning?"

Frederick Fairfax ducked his head in defeat.

"Look at me!"

He raised his head again, grinning. "My wife is awesome—delivering water to someone while still getting into Harvard. Amazing."

"You're still jealous about the past? Then should I start getting jealous too? All those actresses you worked with, and that one named Jian Jiaren, and your CP* with your first love, Jiachenscenic—you two were a huge hit!" (CP = 'couple pairing', a fandom term for onscreen pairings.)

Frederick Fairfax demonstrated by example: bringing up old grievances is a losing game, especially for men.

"That's not fair—that was just my debut project! We haven't seen each other for a whole year."

Olivia Young pushed his head aside. "So you WANT to see her? Fine, I'll have your assistant arrange it—you can meet her tomorrow!"

"No! I don't want to see her!"

"I only want to see my wife!"

"Yuyue~"

"Don't call me that!"

Wrestling on the bed, Olivia Young and Frederick Fairfax rolled and tussled.

Now Frederick Fairfax finally understood: an angry wife is harder to handle than a pig at Chinese New Year!

Usually, Olivia Young acted all delicate with him, looking like she needed hugs all the time. Who knew that when she pushed back for real, she was so hard to handle?

Hold down her hands—her legs kicked.

Pin her legs—her head dodged, her whole body wriggling to the center of their big bed.

There was only one solution left.

Frederick Fairfax sealed her lips with his.

If she wouldn't behave, he'd just kiss her.

A few more kisses and she'd calm down.

"No kissing!"

"Frederick Fairfax, I don't want your kisses. Go kiss your first-love CP!"

Frederick Fairfax took her wrists, raising them above her head. "Wife, fighting at the head of the bed and making up at the foot—let's not drag anyone else into husband-and-wife matters, okay? I promise I'll bring up Grace Gordon less."

Olivia Young's eyes glistened, the tails wet and red as she stared at him. "You just mentioned him—again..."

"That was my fault. For that, wife, bite me!"

With that, she found his lips on hers again.

Olivia Young: "..."

Was she supposed to punish him—or reward him?!

Her mind blurred from his kisses, she heard Frederick Fairfax's husky voice in her ear: "Wife, fight on one end, make up on the other."

What a scoundrel!

From headboard to footboard, he made sure they used every inch of that bed.

Baby, Mom's not getting out of bed tomorrow.

Blame your daddy!

Let Dad mix your formula and change your diapers tomorrow.

So tired.

The next morning, Olivia Young woke up groggy, her chest aching. She knew she needed to get up to feed the baby.

Ugh!

She really didn't want to move!

Agony.

Olivia Young battled her own sleepiness for ages before finally opening her eyes.

"Ah!"

Anyone else understand? As soon as she opened her eyes, there was a face right in front of her—and those burning, hungry eyes looking at her like he could eat her up.

"It's me."

"It's scary even if it's you. What are you doing?" Olivia Young's soul nearly left her body.

"I just wanted to look at you. If I ever wake up before you, I'll stare at you like this, memorize your face so well you can't ever run away on me!" Frederick Fairfax's hand caressed her waist.

He really was still hung up on it.

Olivia Young gently pushed his hand away. "You can sit here reviewing the past—I need to find our daughter."

"Wife, I'll miss you."

Throwing on a jacket, Olivia Young thought: Don't you dare miss me—I’m off! She much preferred snuggling with her sweet, soft baby, as adorable as a little cream puff.

By now, not only did Olivia Young have baby photos as her phone wallpaper, but so did her brother, her parents, Sir Fairfax, and Frederick Fairfax’s parents. Only Frederick Fairfax had a couple’s photo of the two of them.

Her little one yawned in bed, chubby cheeks round and babyish, big bright eyes staring at her.

"Baby!"

"Mama’s little princess, good morning. Are you hungry yet?"

Lifting up the baby, Olivia Young suddenly remembered something. "Wait!"

She wiped herself off—otherwise, if baby smelled Dad's kisses, she’d wrinkle her nose in disgust.

She did, too.

The little one started crying anxiously, clutching at her mom’s clothes.

"Don't rush, sweetie."

"Gentle, now—be a little lady."

But she was so eager!

Trouble. Olivia Young had a bad feeling her daughter just might inherit Frederick Fairfax’s personality.

Bold and brash.

A girl as wild as the wind!

But that could be okay, too.

A Frederick Fairfax type wouldn’t easily suffer losses out there.

Looking at her adorable daughter, Olivia Young convinced herself once more.

A few days later, a black-and-pink Porsche Panamera pulled up beneath the cherry trees.

Olivia Young stepped out in her work attire.

On her left was her senior’s law firm.

On her right...

She stared at the new flower boutique next door—and the person at the door in an apron and ponytail was actually Annabelle Winters!

Seriously, Author?

Was this for real? In the novel, Annabelle Winters did open a flower boutique after leaving the company, but they never said it was here!

Olivia Young was flabbergasted.

Now, she was starting to consider Frederick Fairfax’s request. Maybe moving the law firm wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

"Yuyue!"

"Yuyue!"

"What are you looking at?"

Diana Ning followed Olivia Young’s gaze. "Hey, you two kinda look alike!"

"Maybe we had the same ancestor a few hundred years ago," Olivia Young turned away, her smile forced. Seriously, Author?!

"You’re way prettier than her!"

Money really does make a difference.

With enough money, even Annabelle Winters could get prettier and prettier.

All Olivia Young’s joy about starting work fizzled out the second she saw Annabelle Winters.

Surely she wasn’t about to get dragged into another train-wreck romance, was she?

Couldn’t they just leave her alone already?

She was a married woman with a kid!

As long as Grace Gordon had any morals at all, no amount of temptation would work.

Diana Ning pushed open the white wooden door. "Babe, your office faces the cherry trees! The view is amazing!"

The office was on the third floor, right across the street from Annabelle Winters's flower boutique.

Heavens above! This couldn't be happening.

"Not happy?"

"Not at all," Olivia Young smiled. "I love it."

The office was bright, clean, modern—she liked everything about it.

Everything except Annabelle Winters across the way, who made her afraid she’d get yanked back into the novel’s plot at any moment.

"You seem a bit down—do you have separation anxiety?" Diana Ning pulled her to sit. "A lot of my work friends go through that after becoming moms. It's nothing. Our firm is super flexible—you can bring the baby!"

"And bring your nanny too, if you want!"

Now THAT was a perk.

She loved it here.

Knock, knock, knock.

After a knock at the door, an enormous, wild bouquet appeared in the doorway.