Sophie had no idea how little Lydia had noticed. She considered herself quite good at hiding her feelings, yet Lydia had somehow still caught on. She wasn’t unhappy, much less sad or heartbroken. It was just that when so many things piled up, she could only keep them bottled up inside, unable to find any relief.
"No, of course not." Sophie squeezed her palms, the smile on her face softening even more. "Have you finished your bath, baby?"
Little Lydia nodded. She rubbed her small cheek against the phone screen as if silently comforting her. "Mommy, don’t be unhappy. I know you’re changing the subject, but that’s okay. Once I’m back by your side, you’ll be happy."
Sophie hurriedly pressed the phone’s camera against her chest. She tilted her head back, trying to force back the tears welling in her eyes, but it was to no avail. So much had happened recently. Even though she appeared decisive and strong, in reality, she was just enduring it all. Enduring was her only option. Without an outlet for her emotions, pretending nothing had happened was the only way she could protect herself.
Sophie haphazardly wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and smiled again. "Okay. Just wait a little longer, baby. Mommy will let you stand in the light very soon."
After being abandoned by the roadside late last night and waiting over half an hour for a ride, Sophie inevitably caught a cold. Yet, she hated taking medicine. Being forced by her teachers to identify and taste herbs as a child had left her with a physiological aversion to it. She planned to just tough it out for a few days until it passed.
Her work at Helios before the new year had mainly involved finalizing project approvals. After the new year, Sophie intended to throw herself entirely into the promotion of traditional medicine, which had declined in recent years due to various reasons. Issues with herbal quality, the uneven skill levels of practitioners, inaccurate diagnoses and prescriptions, and even outright charlatans—all these factors played a part, polarizing public opinion on the field. This was the exact issue she wanted to tackle. If the overall standard could be raised and its treatments applied accurately and widely, it would gradually regain its popularity. It was precisely her Digital Chinese Medicine project that had brought the field back into the public eye on a large scale.
Peter Preston was the heir to Kingsford Calyx Hospital, which featured a specialized traditional medicine department. Sophie planned to spend a few days gathering big data at Calyx before returning to Helios to consolidate it.
By her third day at Calyx Hospital’s traditional medicine department, Sophie had already become quite familiar with the doctors and nurses there. She had just stepped out of an office when a young intern nurse ran over excitedly.
"Sophie, there’s a super handsome guy here! I thought he was a celebrity. He brought his wife and carried their child in for a doctor’s visit. Why are all the gorgeous men already taken?"
Sophie’s voice was muffled from her cold, but she raised an eyebrow in amusement. "How handsome?"
The young nurse pointed toward the pediatrics department. "Look, I’m not exaggerating, am I?"
Sophie lifted her gaze from the folder in her hands and looked over. Julian Sterling, with his tall stature and long legs, stood out conspicuously in the crowd. His absolute composure and aura—built on a foundation of immense wealth—were impossible to ignore. He was helping carry a sickly Seth Sutton, while Stella Sutton walked beside him, reviewing a medical bill. They looked like the picture-perfect family of three.
His love for Stella extended to everyone she cared about, a sentiment he embodied to the fullest. Because he loved her, he did everything he could for her younger brother, even personally accompanying him to the hospital when he fell ill.
Perhaps Sophie’s stare was too direct. Before carrying Seth into the pediatrics department, Julian glanced sideways. Their eyes met for two seconds. He then casually looked away, as if he hadn’t seen her at all.
Stella noticed her too. She wasn’t afraid Sophie would lose her mind, run over, and scream that Julian was her husband. After all, Sophie wasn’t one to humiliate herself like that. With that in mind, she naturally looped her arm through Julian’s free one and walked through the door with him.
The young nurse was still chattering away. "Oh my god, seeing a couple like that completely cures my fear of marriage! I’ve realized something."
Sophie had already lowered her head to continue flipping through her data charts. "Let’s hear it."
"The more handsome a man is, the more devoted he is!"
"..." Sophie gave the girl, who was three or four years younger than her, a complicated look. She couldn’t help but say, "A man’s charm comes entirely from a woman’s imagination."
The young nurse protested, "No way! At the very least, that couple just now clearly loves each other very much!"
"..."
Sophie couldn’t deny that. Even she, the legal wife in this marriage, had to applaud this passionate, earth-shattering affair.
"Sophie, why aren’t good, handsome, and devoted men like that circulating in the dating market?" the young nurse asked wistfully.
This time, Sophie closed her data binder and patted the nurse’s shoulder. "Oh, they circulate. I guarantee it. You might not get them first-hand, but third, fourth, fifth, or sixth-hand is no problem at all. A man’s lifelong ambition is just to hop from one bed to another. It’s a fire sale on their bodies, and their personalities are completely worthless."
The young nurse was speechless. What about second-hand? Was second-hand not an option? Why did she skip straight to third-hand?
Sophie had no intention of continuing the topic.
The nurse looked at her in concern. "Sophie, I could tell from far away that you don’t look well. Are you sure you don’t want to take some medicine?"
Sophie smiled and shook her head. "I’m fine. I’m almost recovered."
The nurse didn’t press the issue any further.
During the morning, Sophie roughly mapped out the operational model of Calyx’s traditional medicine department. During her break, Ivy Hawthorne sent Sophie several chat screenshots. They were all about Stella Sutton.
Ivy texted, "Did Julian buy a house for Stella? The rumors are everywhere!"
Sophie’s eyes flickered. Julian had been negotiating with her to give up that house in exchange for two hundred million. She should have known. If he was willing to spend that much money on her, how could he possibly let Stella pay for her own property?
She glanced at the screenshots of the chat group filled with wealthy heirs and socialites.
"Did you guys hear? Mr. Sterling bought a super expensive property for Stella. How lucky is she? That’s Julian Sterling! She actually managed to bag a man like him."
"Where did you hear that? But that’s totally improper. Didn’t Mr. Sterling get married ages ago? What does that make Stella? A mistress?"
"Hahaha, she’s a public figure now. If this gets out, how is she going to show her face?"
"Wasn’t Stella engaged to Charles Sterling from the Sterling family? She’s two-timing them. Doesn’t she feel awkward?"
Quite a few people had said some rather unpleasant things. In the deep, sprawling mansions of affluent families, every household had its own skeletons in the closet. There was also no shortage of people jealous of Stella, fueling plenty of gossip.
Sophie replied to Ivy, "We signed a prenuptial agreement. I can’t control who he spends his money on."
The old chairman had guarded against her, explicitly stating that Julian’s post-marital assets had nothing to do with her. Even if she wanted to go after their joint marital assets, she couldn’t.
Ivy replied indignantly, "I’m going to buy antipsychotics for this shameless couple right now!!! Right this instant!!"
Sophie just smiled and brushed it off.
When noon arrived, she decided to try out the Calyx Hospital cafeteria. She waited for the elevator to head to the cafeteria floor.
The doors slid open, and Sophie’s steps abruptly halted.
Julian was standing inside. Hearing the noise, he lifted his eyes and looked over.
After a brief hesitation, Sophie stepped in. She didn’t feel the need to avoid him.
At this time of day, there weren’t many people using the elevators. It was just the two of them left, standing on opposite sides with a clear, invisible dividing line between them.
Sophie had a stuffy nose and a foggy head, sniffing occasionally to clear her nasal passages.
"Got a cold?" Julian lowered his gaze, staring thoughtfully at the side of Sophie’s face.