Zoey had a habit of nagging Dave for he had ruined their daughter—a twenty-four-year-old young lady, who had never been in a relationship and could not get along with the men they set up for her. Zoey complained that Quinn treated those men as buddies.Why buddies? Why could they not become lovers?Every time Zoey nagged, Dave would tease her, suggesting they should take good care of their health and have another daughter. Then, they could raise the younger one as a proper lady, which always makes Zoey blush. She would seize him and tickle him.They were old enough to be grandparents, how could they still have babies?If they wanted to, they could have done it when they were younger.“Time for dinner. It’s late and you’re making Julian drink tea, it affects sleep. The same goes for you, don’t stay up late chattering when you can’t sleep later,” reprimanded Zoey as she carried the dishes out of the kitchen.Dave chuckled, “Julian came from afar, he’s our guest. It’s only hospitalit
Regardless of how they dissuaded him, Julian was firm that he had no ability to stop his parents, leaving the Crawfords quite helpless.They thought that if Julian’s parents did come, they would treat them cordially.Ring, ring, ring.Zoey’s phone rang.She answered the call without checking who it was from.“Oh, it’s Felicia.”Hearing Zoey greeting the caller, Quinn and her brother immediately pricked their ears to listen to their mother’s conversation with Felicia.“You want to introduce a boyfriend to Quinn? What does he do for a living? You know about Quinn’s situation right? You won’t introduce someone afraid Quinn might be abusive like those previous ones, will you?“Felicia, let me clarify right away. If the prospective partner is worried that Quinn might be abusive, there’s no need for you to play the matchmaker. Quinn won’t marry anyone with such concerns. I’d rather raise her for life than let her marry someone with tendencies for domestic violence.”Felicia chuckled
Quinn calmly ate her food. When Zoey was not looking, she seized the window of opportunity and refilled her glass with wine before downing it. By the time her mother looked over, she had already put down the glass and was back to calmly eating her meal. There was no sign of her sneaky behavior.Julian found this amusing.However, he did not dare to fill Quinn’s glass with wine. His future mother-in-law had strict rules about not allowing the family to drink too much, and even though he was just having a couple of drinks together as their guest, he could not overindulge. He certainly did not want to break the good impression Zoey had of him.“Yes, it’s her colleague’s son. She wants our daughter to meet him tomorrow at the nicely decorated bubble tea shop near our gym.”Zoey handed the phone to Dave and asked quietly, “What do you think? Should we arrange for our daughter to meet him? He seems a bit overweight, and it’s clear that he seldom works out.Dave took the phone, and Will
Quinn had always treated Julian like a buddy and the Crawfords had eliminated him from the list of potential son-in-law candidates. Zoey took her phone back and said, “Let’s wait for any updates tomorrow. You can go over if Felicia doesn’t cancel the date. The boba shop isn’t too far from our gym anyway.“Bring a dress and a pair of heels with you when you go to work tomorrow. You should change into them to look more ladylike if the date isn’t canceled. Stop dressing up like a bodyguard every day. Anyone would be afraid that you’d swing a punch at them.”“Look at the weather, Mom. It’s impossible to wear a dress. Do you want me to catch a cold?”Quinn glanced at Julian’s glass. She wanted to steal a few sips. “Who said anything about a summer dress? You can wear one that’s suitable for winter.”“I don’t have dresses in my closet, Mom. I’ve never worn a dress since I became an adult.”Quinn did not like wearing dresses. It would get in the way during her practice. “I can’t wa
Will believed that the men the matchmaker introduced to Quinn were unattractive. Dave did not object to the match, while Zoey reminded her son to be considerate of Julian and not hurt their guest. Everyone in the Crawford family was trained except Zoey. Due to their competitive nature, they liked to have matches with people skilled in martial arts. Julian contemplated whether to go all out or hold back later. However, upon remembering that Quinn admired strength, he decided to put his all into the match and defeat Will. That way, he could gain Quinn’s admiration. He hoped that his future brother-in-law would not hold a grudge against him for it. After the meal, Julian wanted to help clear the dishes but was stopped by Zoey. She said, “You can go and talk to Dave. Quinn and I will clean up.”Julian smiled and said, “It’s okay, Mrs. Crawford. I’m the one who cleans up after every meal in my family. I’m used to it.”He needed to exhibit his good side to the Crawfords. As he
Ten minutes later, Julian and Quinn walked behind her brothers. They were heading to Power Fitness. Summervale was livelier when dark fell. Although it was not as bustling as Wiltspoon, the city lights illuminated the streets. Mark said, “You can go up against me first, Julian. My dad trained us three, so we have similar moves. If you can beat me, you’ll have a greater chance of challenging my brother. He started training several years before I did. He’s stronger and faster.“He has also been teaching more advanced students while I’m still overseeing kids. It’s because I’m still young and not as famous as Will.”In Summervale, Quinn’s brothers were well-known in the martial arts circle. Julian said, “If so, it’s unfair to Will. It’s okay. I’ll have a match with him right away. I can accept any outcome. I train to strengthen my body and defend myself, not for fame.”Quinn grinned. “Why do you need fame when you’re a businessman? You’re already popular in Wiltspoon’s business in
“Besides, no one in their right mind will try to offend Old Mrs. York. She’s the one with the most connections. You’ll know that no one in my social circle is simple once you get acquainted with Serenity and the rest.”Families of higher status usually knew each other well with some even allies. “Will you still be my friend if you’ll be in danger because of me, Quinn? Will you break off our friendship?”Will turned his head and said, “What do you take Quinn for? My sister has already thought of you as her best friend. She’s sincere and will go to any lengths to help her friends. She’ll never break off your friendship.“However, that’s only if you don’t do anything illegal that’ll endanger Quinn. Otherwise, not only will we cut all ties with you, we’ll also beat you up.”Then, he told Quinn, “Julian was teasing you. Why did you believe him? If his situation is as dangerous as it sounds, he won’t contact us anymore if he has a sliver of conscience. Since he dared to come to our hou
“Don’t take me for a fool. I know what’s love,” Quinn complained. Will looked at Julian, then Quinn, who clearly had no idea about love. He chose not to expose the tension between them. Hang on. He had just revealed that Julian was preparing his sister for something. Yet, Quinn did not seem to get the hint that Julian was worried for her. “You must hold back during the match later, Will. Don’t go all out,” Quinn reminded him as her way to change the subject.Will said, “We’re not having a death match. Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on him.”Julian thanked Will. Soon, they arrived at Power Fitness. A few coaches were still around, watching their students train at night. When they saw Quinn and the rest walking in, they stopped. “Everyone take a rest and clear some space for me. I’m going up against Mr. Bucham here and have you all witness a match between professionals,” Will spoke with a smile, and everyone complied. A coach eyed Julian and asked, “Which gym is he from, Wil
Dylan suspected that Imogen was Fox. If they were indeed the same person, then it was true that he had only ever pursued Imogen.“Was he okay after standing outside for more than half an hour?” Winston asked.Leticia chimed in, “Jen had Wendy make him a bowl of hot soup. Knowing that the boy doesn’t like spicy food, I made sure she added plenty of spice. It was definitely spicy. Wendy said Jen made sure he finished it before leaving.”Imogen had made Dylan drink such spicy soup, but he was still willing to drink it for her. He was clearly doing this out of consideration for Imogen, not wanting to make things too awkward between their families.“Lucky for him,” Winston muttered.Imogen was speechless.“Why did he come looking for you, Jen?” Winston asked in concern. “Was he here to ask to reconcile? If that’s the case, you mustn’t agree too easily. He has to pursue you again, and for at least two years, before you even think about agreeing to be with him. He needs to know how to
After deciding to go home and plead with his grandmother, Dylan did not stay much longer at the Doyle household. However, he still pinched his nose and finished the bowl of soup after Imogen persuaded him to.She personally saw him off at the gate.“Mr. York, remember to see a doctor when you get back. Take some medicine for a few days, don’t be careless,” Imogen said, following him out mainly to remind him to get treated once he got home, so he would not end up with a serious illness.People who were usually very healthy tended to get very sick when they did fall ill.“My health is my responsibility. If I don’t feel well, I’ll definitely go see a doctor. Don’t worry about me, Ms. Doyle. Even if I fall sick because of what happened today, it’s my fault. I won’t blame you or your family,” Dylan said, thinking Imogen was concerned he might blame her father.He could not bring himself to hope for anything beyond that.Imogen smiled. “Please send my regards to Grandma May and Serenit
“Mr. York, are you really not going to give up? Are you going to keep chasing after her? What is it about her that I lack?”Imogen really wanted to know why Dylan could not fall for her when she interacted with him as her true self but instead, he fell head over heels in love with her when she wore a different identity.“Ms. Doyle, you’re a great person, really—you’re wonderful. It’s just that I’m not worthy of you,” Dylan replied sincerely. “There’s nothing about you that’s inferior to Fox. I don’t even know why I fell for her. Maybe it’s because I kept having the same dream of her over and over.“Before I approached you, I had already dreamt of Fox many times, and then I actually met her in real life. I guess, if you had to ask why I fell for Fox and not for you, I can only say it was because I had already fallen for her in my dream. When the dream became a reality, it felt natural.”Imogen was silent.“Actually, I only met the real Fox after I started getting closer to you. I k
Dylan said, “Go ahead.”He was a bit hungry too and wanted to eat.Imogen called for Wendy and instructed her to make a fresh pot of tea and serve some of the snacks she usually ate.Once Wendy finished preparing the tea, Imogen poured a cup for Dylan and said, “You can start your story now.”“Ms. Doyle, I’m not making up a story, I’m—Ms. Doyle, you are Fox, aren’t you?” Dylan asked again.“Mr. York, I’ve told you, I don’t know who Fox is. I only know a fox is an animal, like in the zoo. If you ask me again if I’m Fox, I’ll think you’re calling me a vixen.”“‘Fox’ is just a nickname, meaning she’s very cunning and deceptive. I call her Chameleon Fox for her ability to shape-shift into many different identities. She changes so much that people mistake her for many different people, but in reality, she’s only one person.”Imogen looked quite interested and said, “Oh, so you think I’m Chameleon Fox, who likes to deceive people? Do you have any evidence for this?”“No, I don’t.”“
Couples always talked about eternal love, but how many could truly last forever?Dylan stammered, unable to say anything. Could he say that he suspected she was Fox? It was just a guess, with no evidence.Under Imogen’s gaze, Dylan steeled himself and spoke honestly, “I came to apologize to you.”Imogen raised an eyebrow. “Apologize? You already apologized to me the last time we spoke. There’s no need to apologize again. I’m not angry at you. When it comes to matters of the heart, it’s all about reciprocation. You can’t force it.“Feelings can’t be pressured into existence, so I won’t pressure you to accept me.“Plus, it’s been so long, and I have no feelings for you anymore. For that, I should thank you for clearing things up for me early on. At that time, I had just started to like you and could give up so quickly because of that.”Dylan, embarrassed, said, “Ms. Doyle, it’s not about that. Recently, I… secretly followed you.”“You followed me? Why?” Imogen pretended to be clue
“Drink it while it’s hot. Only when it’s steaming will it have the best effect to ward off the cold.”Dylan nodded, wiping his nose with a tissue. He threw the tissue into the trash bin, but when he saw that the bin was full of tissues, he felt even more embarrassed.He picked the steaming hot soup up carefully and took a big sip.It was so spicy!The spice almost made him spit it out. Remembering that Imogen was right next to him, he forced himself to swallow it. After just one sip, Dylan put the bowl down.“Ms. Doyle, the soup is too hot. I’ll drink it later,” he said.It was too spicy. He did not want to take a second sip.“I’ll take the medicine first,” he added.Compared to drinking the soup, Dylan would rather take the medicine. The medicine might be bitter, but he could handle it.Imogen immediately called him out. “You’re afraid of the spice and you don’t want to drink the soup, do you?”Dylan sneezed again and then poured himself some water to take the medicine.Hav
All he could do was hold it in. However, he soon sneezed again.Imogen commented, “My dad told you to stand in the cold without your coat, and you really did it, like an idiot. It’s not like you feel anything for me or you’re trying to win my affection, so there’s really no need for you to listen to my dad.”Luckily, she came out quickly enough. Otherwise, he would have turned into an icicle.“It was my fault before. I hurt you, so it's only natural that Mr. and Mrs. Doyle are angry with me. They didn’t hit me or scold me, and they just made me stand out in the cold for a while; they’re already being very lenient,” said Dylan, sneezing again.He was usually in good health, but this time, he was afraid he might really catch a cold.Imogen glanced at him without saying anything. She led Dylan into the house and asked their housekeeper if the soup was ready.Wendy replied, “Almost.”Imogen nodded and asked Dylan to sit down. Then, she poured him a cup of tea and asked, “Have you ea
Dylan finally put his coat on after Imogen said that. He had only been standing there for half an hour but even in that short time, he had become so cold.Once he put his jacket on, Imogen turned around and began walking inside. “Come with me.”“Okay,” Dylan quickly bent down to grab the gifts before quickening his steps to catch up with Imogen. “Thank you, Ms. Doyle.”Imogen glanced at him for a moment before turning away. “I was just afraid you might freeze to death at my doorstep, and then your family would come after mine. Plus, since your sisters-in-law are my good friends, I couldn't just let you die at my gate.”After leaving Wiltspoon, Imogen had not gone back there under her real name, but she had stayed in touch with Serenity and the others and was still on very good terms with them.Dylan smiled and said, “Serenity will give birth in a few months, and Josh’s wife is also pregnant, but she's a month ahead of Serenity. Liberty and Duncan have already registered their marr
Her daughter’s excellence was all thanks to Silver’s influence.“What I wanted to tell you was that Dylan is standing at our doorstep. He said he wanted to see you. Your dad and I refused and told him to leave, but he’s not budging.”Imogen was not surprised by this, but she still pretended to be surprised, so as not to raise her mother’s suspicion.“Why’s he here?” Imogen asked, feigning ignorance.“Who knows? He didn’t say. He only said he wanted to see you. The way he treated you, playing with your feelings—your dad and I have been holding in a lot of anger for a long time. “But you didn’t want us to confront him, so we couldn’t vent it. Now he’s come knocking, wanting to see you? It won’t be that easy.”Imogen was not planning to meet Dylan either.“Your dad told him to stand outside for two hours with his coat off and that if he doesn’t freeze to death, he’ll let him see you.”Imogen was speechless for a moment. “Mom, it’s freezing outside. Even wearing a thick coat, it’s