Sage was already a grown-up, but she was forced to stay in the ward. She felt embarrassed about it, but the loss of freedom felt worse.She was not in a good mood and was grumpy about it. Jace's arrival only made her grumpier.Jace had learned a new trick from god-knows-where and started coming to the health center to visit her daily. Unfortunately, she was stuck in the ward, so she had no choice but to have him stay.What made her even troubled was the fact that the Yuriel's family took the blame for her near-accident at the club. They blamed Jace for not keeping her safe. Therefore, they ordered Jace to take care of her and make it up for her.Grandma Yuriel even came to visit her in person. She held her hand and said with a smile, "Sage, tell Jace if you want to eat something. He'll buy it for you. It's his duty to take care of you. Just treat him like a slave, anything will do."Sage could not refuse the elder's kindness. So she awkwardly nodded along and laughed.As for Frey
"Why are you staring at me?"Jace replied, "You look pretty."Sage fell silent. She quietly thought to herself, "I know I'm good-looking. Isn't that obvious?""Stop staring. I can't eat with you staring like that." Sage's tone was stiff."Oh." Jace closed his eyes and promised, "I'll stop staring."Sage became speechless. Why was Jace being so silly?She ignored him and continued to eat.The room stayed silent for a moment until someone's tummy suddenly growled a little. Sage's actions stopped when she heard the abrupt noises. She looked up suddenly, glancing from Jace's stomach to his face.Jace did not expect his stomach to growl that loudly and his face flushed a little."You haven't eaten?" Sage asked in surprise.Jace stiffened. "Not yet." He managed a smile, paused a little, and then explained, "It was already noon when I rushed home from the museum. I was afraid that you were hungry, so I rushed over with the food. You can eat first. I'm not hungry yet. I'll eat la
This colorful enamel bowl was not the same as the four bowls Sage purchased at the charity dinner a long time ago.Sage's eyes lit up as soon as she placed it in the palm of her hand."Was this from the ancient golden years?"Jace's eyes glistened. He knew Sage loved antique goods, but he did not expect her eyes to be that sharp.He said with a smile, "Yeah." Then, he asked, "How did you know?"Sage slowly turned the small bowl with a white bottom in her hand. While she observed it, bouts of information flashed in her mind.The colorful enamel bowl had plum blossoms and peony patterns. It was probably made in the ancient golden years. It had a bigger mouth, a beautifully curved wall, and a round bottom. The bowl was even painted with a white glaze inside. The enamel drawn outside depicted two plum blossoms on the old branches, in full bloom.She muttered subconsciously, "The enamel bowls from the ancient silver years were less decorated and simple, but the enamel bowls from the
"I'll decide if it's worth it or not. I think this is just nice."Jace kept the hairpin. Fearing that Sage would give him more money, he hastily packed the lunchbox and left. Before leaving, he added, "I'll leave now and come back for dinner."Why would he come again?Sage frowned hard and shouted his name from behind. "Jace!"'Don't you come again!' she thought as the door closed with a snap.Meanwhile, in the next room.Laura lay on her back while getting chiropractic treatment. She looked towards Kane who was standing beside her."Hey, bro? Why do you come here every day? Do you like watching me suffer or something?"Kane held his black phone and looked up upon hearing that. "Yeah," he muttered.Laura was confused. "Huh?"Kane added, "It's pretty fun.""What the heck…"When she moved, Melody warned, "Hey, don't move."Laura dared not move. She only gave Kane a fierce look.If the injury was not holding her back, she would have beaten him up then and there. How could he
Jace got into his car after leaving the hospital.He grabbed the hairpin in his hand and caressed the beautiful and delicate rose carving on it. He also felt Sage's beautifully carved name on the hairpin and could not stop touching it.A smile surfaced on his face unknowingly.He finally had something that belonged to her. It was just a small hairpin, but it reminded him of her warmth because of the carvings she personally made on it.Zayne sat in the front passenger seat and answered a call. He wanted to inform Jace about something and turned back. However, he caught sight of a silly-looking Jace who was staring at a hairpin.Zayne couldn’t help compressing his lips.Jace just used a priceless antique to exchange for an ordinary wooden hairpin. It was clearly a loss-making trade, but he looked so happy. Love really made people silly."Mister Jace." Zayne did not want to spoil his boss’ good mood, but he had to say something to him."Shoot," Jace answered with a faint voice."
"W-what? Y-you sound disgusting."Sage was speechless for a second. She blinked, leaned closer, and grabbed his hand. She shook his hand gently, "Luther, I'd like to ask you for a small favor…""No! No way! I won't do it!"Luther slapped her hand, jumped away, and took three giant steps backward.He looked at her with a wary face as if she was about to do something naughty to him. Sage's face clouded over. "I haven't even told you my request."Luther shook his head at her and gave her a look. He could easily see through Sage's intention."You want me to help you escape to the branch office, right? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?""If you know, then help me," said Sage and kept playing woman.Luther took another giant step back and stuttered, "Y-you… Don't disgust me!"Sage continued doing it. "Luther…"Luther wanted to kneel to her in defeat. He put his hand together and pleaded, "Sage, please spare me. Tim and Kane are the ones who decided to keep you confi
Jace came to the Looming branch and was greeted by the lead investigator."Wearing a suit on a hot day?"When Cole met Jace, he immediately gave him a disgusted look. Jace saw the wrinkled and dirty white T-shirt on Cole and wondered how many days he had not bathed. He frowned staring at his greasy hair and his chin full of stubs.Jace asked Cole, "Did you fall into a pile of trash?"Cole Jennex was part of Jace's circle in Nadeem City. He was acquainted with Jace as a childhood friend. Cole came from a privileged family and was fearless. He used to serve in the army for a short while, but he could not join the special force Team Draco for various reasons. After a career change, he transferred and worked for public security.Cole was the lead investigator, but he was not even wearing his uniform. He had a cigarette between his dry lips. He looked just like a street gangster if one ignored the Lorex watch and Ermani belt around his waist.Cole had successfully solved several maj
The police officer in the interrogation asked, "What's your relationship with Mister Jekyll?""We're not related." Sienna touched the sapphire on her left hand with her right hand and chuckled. "It's a relationship between a man and a woman.""What kind of relationship between a man and a woman?""Oh, dear. Sir, you're so annoying. Do I have to go into detail about this?"Sienna appeared a little shy and acted coyly, saying, "We're adults. Isn't it normal to spend a night together? Officers like you are always busy solving cases. Do you even have time to find a girlfriend or a friend with benefits?"When the police officer heard that, his face clouded over. He slammed the door and snapped, "Be serious!"Outside the interrogation room, Cole spat and cursed, "F*ck!"He looked at Jace in disbelief. "You wouldn't believe that was what Sienna said unless you've seen it with your own two eyes, right? Everyone thinks of her as an angel, but she's just a cheap sl*t!"Jace pulled a long
Sage heard of the saying, 'Marriage is for happiness, and so does divorce.'Based on Wikipedia, the definition of marriage was, 'Marriage is a long-term contractual relationship between a man and a woman based on equal consent.'Someone once said, 'Marriage is like a siege. Those outside wanted to break in, while people inside wanted to break out of the siege.'Sage and Jace had been through marriage once. In their first marriage, they were both losers. This time, they were both determined to win. They wanted to live their lives well. Even if their passion were to fade in the future, they would never leave each other. There were eight couples in line ahead of them. Sage and Jace were the ninth.Jace was eager for their turn. He counted carefully and then said with a smile, "It's nine again. It's a good day for this number."Jace suddenly came up with a good idea, "Let's have a daughter and call her Little Nine, okay?"'Did he just come up with that? How brave,' Sage thought and
The ninth of September arrived quickly.Sage was worried that Jace would not be able to get up on time, but Sage turned out to be the one who overslept. Sage had not slept all night because of a certain someone. She was so sleepy, while Jace was full of energy.Jace carried Sage to the bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth. "Open your mouth. Ah…"Sage squinted as she saw the terrible dark circles under her eyes. She turned around in anger and bumped Jace's head.Jace was caught off guard and felt dizzy from the impact. He rubbed his head. "Dear, aren't you hurting yourself by doing this…""Look at my dark circles. They're so ugly. How am I supposed to take pictures? Sage complained in anger.Jace squinted and rubbed his eyes. "Let me see. What's ugly?"He held Sage's face and observed it. "What's ugly? It's not ugly. My wife is the prettiest in the world!"Jace did not care about the toothpaste foam all over Sage's mouth and kissed her anyway.Primrose opened the door and
Jace made Sage stay up all night. Sage was so sleepy that her eyes were closing."Sleep. I'll wake you up later."Jace leaned down and kissed her forehead. As he closed his eyes, he remembered something and sat up sharply."By the way, we have to wear white shirts for tomorrow's photo session. We haven't prepared the shirt…"Jace rolled over and jumped off the bed right after saying that. Sage could not stop him in time, so she turned on the lamp helplessly. She leaned over the bed and waited for Jace in silence.Shortly after, Jace came back with two shirts. His eyes were shining. "Dear, you've prepared for us?""Yeah." Sage nodded weakly. "I've got them ready. I've had Zamora iron them for me."Jace could finally put his mind at ease. "What about the documents and identifications…"Sage pulled open the drawer of the bedside table and took out the papers and documents she had prepared ahead. "It's all here."Sage looked at Jace. "Everything is ready. You've checked three time
Sage spread out the notebook and looked at the blurred handwriting. She slowly read it out loud, "Step one, conquer her with sweet talking. Use sweeter and flirtatious words that would make people blush. Forget about modesty and shame in bed. It's best to whisper them into her ears…"Sage read the notes with a straight face, making Jace so embarrassed that he could hardly keep his feet on the ground.Jace strode forward with a stiff face and tried to snatch the notebook away. Sage was quick to dodge and continued reading with her head down."Step two, be aggressive at your offense. Focus and remember this, being rough yet gentle. You can use props such as blindfolds, ties, handcuffs, and so on…"Sage's face turned red while reading it. As the images popped into her mind, she had to stop reading.Jace was about to go crazy. He buried his face in his hands, unable to look up at Sage."Where did you learn all these?" Sage threw the notebook at Jace. "Rough yet gentle? Are you seriou
'Electric drill? Seriously?!' Jace thought and got a headache.Seeing that Sage was about to open her mouth again, he panicked and kissed her directly to shut her up.Dean was stunned by Jace's quick action. When he saw the couple kissing in the light, he suddenly raised his hand and hit his head.'I must be on the set… Who else would be so shameless as to kiss in public like that?' Dean thought.Sage finally calmed down after a long kiss. Jace breathed a sigh of relief and picked her up. He told Logan, "I'll leave the other guy to you!""Oh," Logan responded. Then he picked Dean up like a kid and walked out the door.Jace was tired and sweaty by the time he arrived at the hotel. Sage was already soundly asleep. Jace put her to bed and took off her shoes, socks, pants, and clothes. He stripped her clean.Sage drank a lot and was reeking of alcohol. Jace did not want to wake her up, so he did not carry her to the bathroom and bathe her. Instead, he wet the towel with hot water to
In the words of the commentators, the basketball game was very smooth. The national team played well! At last, the national team defeated the opponent team by a score of 106-73.The crowd was thrilled that the national team had won the game. The internet was buzzing with excitement too. There were several hot searches about the national team's victory. The topic #RisingStarJim made the headlines too.Sage had lost her usual composure. She was following the fans and shouting wildly, cheering for the victory.Perhaps this was the power of sports. It made the audience exhilarated and trembling with excitement. Jace looked calm on the outside, but he was actually quite excited on the inside.Sage was cheering in excitement. She jumped up and down like a child while hugging Jace. Jace followed and laughed with her too.They were planning to leave after the game, but Sage was really happy and stayed for the team's celebration party. Sage even asked Jim for his teammates' shoe sizes and
"Is that so?" A trace of interest flashed in Jace's eyes.Sage did not understand, so she asked, "What does a small forward do?"Jace explained, "The small forwards are typically the tallest and most athletic of all players. They are responsible for scoring points and defending. The main goal of strong shooters is to score and create opportunities for teammates. In other cases, they would operate as off-ball specialists. They would wait for teammates to pass the ball, catch the ball, and shoot to score."Seeing Sage's confused look, Jace added, "James and Durant, for example, are playing as small forwards.""Oh!" Sage immediately understood after hearing the name of these famous basketball stars. Her eyes lit up. "Isn't that amazing?"Jace saw the sparkle in her eyes and found her really adorable. He said, smiling, "It is. Basketball is all about teamwork. Small forward is probably the most versatile of the five main basketball positions and carries multiple functions in the game.
The next morning, Sage, Jace, and Dean went to the basketball arena for the World Championships after breakfast.It was the men's basketball world championship, where their country's basketball team was up against another country. By the time they got to the arena, many people were in the audience.The staff guided Sage and the group to their designated seat in the family section.As soon as Dean sat down, someone next to him called out his name. Dean seemed unsurprised by this. He even smiled and waved at them. After that, he gestured for them to be polite and silent. It was not Dean's first time watching his younger brother's basketball game live. Many of his fans knew that Dean's younger brother was playing on the national team. They especially came over to get closer to him. Some were Jim's fans too. They knew Dean was Jim's brother, so they would greet him.After listening to Dean's explanation, Sage's businessman side as the owner of Norah Entertainment appeared again."If
Jace muffled his laughs and relaxed in the night light. He said, "I have to work harder, or someone will call me old.""Hey." Sage knew he would get back at her.She rolled over and lay on top of Jace. She played with his chest and said in a muffled voice, "I have a new nickname for you."Jace responded, "Hm?"Sage looked up at him. "Vengeance."Jace was stunned and soon broke into a peal of laughter. Sage leaned on him and felt the rise and fall of his breathing. As his chest resonated with his laughter, Sage followed along with his laughter. Both of them were laughing like fools. Sage and Jace lay flat on the bed after laughing nonstop. They opened up and improved their intimacy so much. As a result, their whole body and mind were very relaxed tonight. "Hey..." The two spoke in unison, exchanged a glance, and smiled again.Sage said, "Go ahead."Jace looked at Sage and muttered, "I'll say something, but don't get mad at it.""Just say it." Sage looked at him.Jace though