"Yes, I was captivated. Are you an actor?" Coco asked.The man was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I am an actor."Noticing the gloom in his eyes, Coco said, "Well, I hope one day you achieve your dreams. The hardest thing in this world is perseverance."It reminded her of her own journey to become a professional comic artist, which had faced many setbacks. Therefore, she wanted to encourage him.She genuinely found his performance interesting, even though he was ignored by most of the passersby on this festive day."Thank you," he replied as he removed his hat and fake beard.Suddenly, a handsome face with distinct features emerged before Coco. She blinked a few times. She recognized him. He's Claude Road! The actor Lisa had mentioned when they were playing cards!He had debuted at 18 and was only 22 now. Recently, he had gained immense popularity from a TV series and was drowning in scripts. Lisa had even joked about going to the studio city to catch a glimpse of h
"No way! Is that really Claude Road? I didn’t even notice him earlier!""I should have paid more attention to that Santa!""I did not expect to see Claude Road dressing up as Santa!""He even invited that woman to his movie premiere!""She looks like she's pregnant. Is the man next to her her husband?" Some people began to pay attention to Coco. Though she was six months pregnant, her slender figure and loose coat made her bulging belly not very noticeable.Meanwhile, the program staff held back the crowd on both sides to keep things from getting too chaotic. The bodyguards who were shadowing Lucas stepped forward to ensure that he and Coco were safe from the throng.Suddenly, one of the cameramen frowned, as if he had noticed something. Then, he stammered, "That... That... That's..."Noticing his reaction, the host asked, "What’s wrong?""That's the Crown Prince!" the cameraman whispered.The Crown Prince?! The program team members were stunned. In their circle, there was on
"Of... Of course!" Claude quickly answered.Lucas scanned the crowd and said, "Let’s head back. It’s not safe here; it’s too crowded.""Sure," Coco agreed.The driver had already moved the car over. The bodyguards kept the throng at bay as Coco and Lucas got into the car. Even after that, people continued to take photos.Once they left the scene, the program team stopped filming. Some staff members looked at Claude with envy. The young actor actually managed to get acquainted with the Crown Prince through sheer coincidence. If things went well, he would get a boost in his career.Inside the car, Coco sighed. "That was actually Claude Road. It’s a shame Lisa’s not here – she really likes him.""Terry White wouldn't think it's a shame," Lucas remarked.Coco chuckled at that. He's probably right! "Are you taking Lisa to that guy's movie premiere?" Lucas asked."Not just Lisa – I’ll ask Serenity, Minnie, Clara, and Summer too," she said.Lucas noticed he wasn't mentioned. "You
She figured his "wasn’t that naughty" probably meant not the slightest bit naughty."I wonder who the baby will take after," she pondered aloud."Hopefully you," Lucas replied, imagining how nice it would be to have a mini version of Coco.Reflecting on her own childhood, Coco recalled being quite naughty before her parents' unexpected passing. She remembered being scolded and punished often. After their sudden deaths, she matured seemingly overnight, leaving behind her playful nature and becoming more quiet.If only she could have continued being naughty under their care; that would have been a kind of happiness too."I hope the baby looks like you but has my personality," Coco suggested, adding, "And hopefully, the baby inherits your intelligence!"Lucas chuckled, "Alright, whatever you say."Coco took a shower after returning to the mansion. When she came out of the bathroom, her phone rang. It was Lisa. "Coco, you met Claude Road today, right? Take me with you to his movie p
"Oh, really?" Lucas raised his eyebrows, having understood what was going on. "So you two were talking about giving Claude Road a hug when you see him?""Well, when you meet an actor that you like, especially someone you usually only get to watch on screen, it’s natural to want to feel closer," Coco explained."Then, what about you? You seemed to think highly of Claude Road. I know you re-watched that TV series he starred in two or three times on your iPad," Lucas pointed out."I genuinely thought that show was good, and Claude played his character very well," Coco replied matter-of-factly."Define 'very well'," Lucas leaned in closer, his voice becoming deep.Coco suddenly felt a shift in the atmosphere under his intense gaze. "I... I was just speaking as a normal viewer.""Oh, just a normal viewer..." he drawled, a hint of a smile on his lips. "So, are you going to give him a hug as a normal viewer too?""Of course not," she said. "I'm not exactly his fan.""Wouldn't you regr
"......" Coco immediately understood. "Is he worried you’ll get too excited about Claude?""Hehe," Lisa chuckled awkwardly.In the theater, the women sat in a row, with Coco and Lisa on either end, their husbands next to them.Coco leaned over to Lucas and asked in a whisper, "Why didn’t you tell me that you got a ticket for Terry?""I meant to tell you the other day, but I forgot after I... helped you change your clothes," Lucas explained.Coco’s face flushed as she recalled that moment. If she didn't mention her pregnant belly, they might actually have...Stop! She couldn’t let her mind wander further! Focusing on the movie, she pushed those thoughts aside.After the film, they got to meet with the main cast and crew of the movie, including Claude.Claude greeted them with a smile, "Mr. Gomez, Mrs. Gomez, hello! I'm so glad you came!"Coco returned the smile and introduced her friends.Serenity, Clara, and Summer behaved normally, but Lisa's eyes sparkled with fangirl exc
"Should be," Clara said. "I’ve heard Serenity talk about that boy's mother before. She's been using her son's relationship with Jackie for personal gain."Coco frowned. With the Valor family's status in Solaria, if someone were to exploit their connection with the Valor family for personal gain, they could certainly benefit greatly. However, going too far would surely lead to trouble."Serenity said Morris is a good kid – polite and humble, and never steps out of bounds," Coco said."It’s a pity his parents aren’t great people, especially his mother. Serenity mentioned she has a gambling addiction," Clara added."If Serenity has to go back to handle it herself, the problem must be serious," Summer said.On the way home, Serenity gathered more information about the situation. In short, Marissa Yale had been using her connection with the Valor family to borrow money for gambling. She kept borrowing without paying back. Some people lent her money in hopes that she could facilitate
"$1.2 million – these are the IOUs!" The creditors displayed the notes, all bearing Marissa's signatures and fingerprints.Serenity's expression darkened. For an ordinary person, $1.2 million was no small sum. She did not expect Marissa to accumulate this much gambling debt.Marissa tried to defend herself. "I... I just wanted to earn more money to give Morris a better life. I didn't expect to lose so much! Mrs. Valor, you have to help me. If you help me pay these debts, I... I promise I’ll do everything I can to make it up to you."Serenity understood her intentions all too well. She fixed Marissa with a cold stare, her icy gaze making Marissa shiver."$1.2 million – why should I help you?" Serenity replied frostily."But... but just now... you said...""Just now, I told Morris I would help you, but I didn't say I’d cover your debts. I can prevent them from using violence, but I won't stop them from suing you. The judge will decide whether to send you to jail or not," Serenity
“……” Morgan suddenly found himself unable to retort. She... wasn't wrong. “But when you play house, you can pretend to be parents with one person today and another person tomorrow. Real marriage is different; you can’t choose someone else.”Renee widened her eyes, listening intently.“The only person you can choose is me. Do you understand, Renee?” he continued.She nodded vigorously. “I understand!”“Do you really?” Morgan asked, a little skeptical. He was already fifteen, so he could grasp the concept of marriage, but she was only eight. Could she truly comprehend it?“So, in the future, I can only marry Morgan and be your bride, right? I can't be someone else's bride, right?” she asked. “I don’t want to marry other boys anyway. I like you the most, Morgan. Of course I’ll only be your bride!” she happily declared, her worries fading away.So she could be Morgan's bride when she grew up! That's great!After finishing another piece of snack, Renee thought of something. She put o
Despite her unease, she couldn’t resist when she saw the sweet desserts. She indulged herself.However, as she ate, her eyes remained fixed on Morgan, clearly still waiting for him to clarify Lucy’s claims.“You want to know if you’re a child bride, right?” Morgan began.Renee nodded.“Do you know what a child bride is?” he asked.She blinked. She had a vague idea, but not enough for her to articulate it.“To put it simply, a child bride is a girl raised by a boy's family. The girl will marry the boy when she comes of age. In the old days, some families were too poor to raise their daughters, so they would sell their daughters to become child brides for richer families,” Morgan explained.Renee blinked. “But my parents aren’t poor, and I'm raised by them, not by other people. That means I’m not a child bride, right?”“Correct, you are not,” Morgan affirmed.She breathed a sigh of relief, and a bright smile spread across her face. “I knew it! My parents would never sell me! The
"Morgan!" Renee turned to Morgan, unease etched on her face."The Moon family, eh? I'll remember this," Morgan replied calmly, then lowered his head to meet Renee's anxious and confused face. "Let's go, Renee. I’ll tell you what you want to know later."He led her away holding her hand.Benson looked worried. "Miss Lucy, how could you say that?""It's the truth!" Lucy shook off her fear and spoke defiantly. "Daddy and Mommy said she’s a child bride. A child bride is a girl sold by her own parents!""But the White family is not like that. Those things only happened to daughters of poor families in the old days," Benson explained. "You really shouldn’t have said that, Miss Lucy. You shouldn’t do that again.""Why do I have to listen to you?" Lucy retorted, displeased.Benson was too ashamed to tell Lucy in front of others that the Moon family simply couldn’t afford to offend Morgan. Dealing with the White family was already a headache, and Morgan's background was even more formi
Benson and Lucy were also dumbfounded. Benson started getting anxious. He felt like things were starting to unfold in ways that he did not expect."Mr. Grimes, I..." Benson stepped forward, intending to speak to Mr. Grimes.However, Mr. Grimes moved past Benson without so much as a glance at him. He went up to Morgan and said, "Master Morgan, I apologize for the oversight!"Everyone was stunned to hear that, including the security guards who had been called over. They were secretly relieved they hadn't forcibly removed anyone yet. If they had offended someone Mr. Grimes was showing so much respect to, it would have been really bad for them!Morgan regarded Mr. Grimes with an unreadable expression. He calmly recounted the situation to Mr. Grimes.After hearing about what happened, Mr. Grimes responded, "This set of stamps was not pre-ordered. If you like it, please take it. Feel free to take anything else in the exhibition that catches your eye."This declaration shocked every
"Who are you?!" Benson exclaimed, astonished. The mysterious figure remained silent, simply looking at Morgan.Morgan calmly reiterated to Benson, "I said, wait for Mr. Grimes." He then pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "I'm Morgan Wood. Please have Mr. Grimes from Lazy Cat Culture come to the Sleepy Cat Exhibition in Solaria. He should be in the area, right?"After ending the call, the person on the other end stared at the phone in disbelief.The Sleepy Cat Exhibition? What's going on?Benson, Lucy, and the staff stared at Morgan in shock, but the look in their eyes quickly turned to ridicule."Ah, a young man's naive bravado – how impudent!" Benson scoffed."Sir, please don't cause trouble," the staff member warned. "Or I'll have to call security."Morgan simply lowered his head to say to Renee, "Looks like we'll be here for a while. If you're bored, I can ask someone to walk around with you."Renee shook her head. "Morgan, what if this stamp set has really been p
Benson's words were not only meant to exert pressure on the staff, but also to inform him that they were on the same side.As expected, when the staff heard what he said, there was an instant change in his expression. He turned to Morgan and Renee and said, "I'm sorry, but it turns out this stamp set has already been pre-ordered by this customer."Morgan saw through the so-called pre-order as nothing more than an act. "When I asked you to wrap it up earlier, I didn’t hear you mention it was pre-ordered.""We forgot to mention that. Our apologies," the staff replied.Lucy, wearing a smug expression, raised her chin at Renee, causing Renee to puff out her cheeks in frustration.Benson calmly observed Morgan and Renee. The White family's White Maple Group had numerous overlapping businesses with the Moon Group. They were often competing with each other. Originally, the White Maple Group’s business activities weren't concentrated in Solaria, so even though there was competition wi
But before Morgan had even finished speaking, a girl's voice piped up, "I want this stamp set!"He turned to the voice and, upon seeing who it was, narrowed his eyes slightly. It was Lucy Moon, the girl Renee mentioned earlier. At the sight of Lucy, Renee immediately reacted like an angry little kitten. "Lucy Moon, why do you always try to take my stuff away?""Your stuff? How is this your stuff? You haven't paid yet!" Lucy shot back, her eyes fixed on Morgan.Morgan was well-known in their class, admired by many girls who claimed he was even more handsome than movie stars. If only Lucy had a big brother like that! She would be the envy of all the girls in class... no, all the girls in school!Unfortunately, her own big brother was not as good-looking.Last time, Lucy had tried to give Renee Sleepy Cat toys, asking for Morgan's email address in return. However, Renee accepted gifts from everyone but her, which infuriated Lucy."But if you want, I can give this stamp set to Re
Unlike many wealthy kids, Renee was quite restrained with her spending. She had never spent recklessly and often saved leftover money. Of course, when she wanted something beyond her budget, she would act cute and ask her Daddy or Morgan to buy it for her.Lisa was the least susceptible to her charms, so Renee didn’t dare to bother her!When they arrived at the exhibition, Renee’s eyes sparkled with excitement. There were so many adorable Sleepy Cat merchandise! They're all so cute! She wanted a lot of them, but realizing her limited budget, she knew she needed a sponsor! The best one was right beside her: Morgan!"Morgan," she said, flashing him a super bright smile.Seeing her like this, Morgan immediately knew she wanted to ask him for something. "What is it? Do you want me to buy you Sleepy Cat merchandise?""You’re so smart, Morgan! No wonder so many girls in our class like you and asked me for your phone number!" Renee praised him.As soon as she mentioned it, Morgan'
"Okay," Renee replied obediently, snuggling up to Morgan and acting cute. "Take me to the exhibition, Morgan! I know you’re the best. You’ll definitely take me, right?"Morgan pursed his lips. At 15, he was no longer a little boy. Although Renee was only 8, she was his destined wife.He had been protecting her since the day she was born. At first, he thought that he would only marry her because according to the family prophecy, she was the one most suitable for him. Over the years, however, he realized that his feelings for her ran deeper than he had initially thought.He found himself wanting to help her fulfill her wishes, and would clean up the mess when she caused trouble. Things had become different from what he had expected, but he welcomed them. He felt grateful that she was the one who was destined for him!With her by his side for the rest of his life, he would never feel lonely."Will you get into fights again?" Morgan asked."No more fighting, I promise!" Renee quickly