CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29: TELLING IVAN UNDERWOOD

The 3% shareholding of The Preston Group is indeed very tempting for me, but even if I leave with nothing, I won’t starve to death. Rather, I can escape the ensuing entanglements and move towards a better life sooner.

"No." Henry Preston’s straightforward answer really surprised me.

"Haven’t you ever thought that my presence might hinder your pursuit of true love in the future?" I couldn’t help but remind Henry Preston.

He’s been after Azure for more than half a month; he should have noticed something different by now, right? He’s never put in this much effort with those actresses before.

Henry Preston lowered his eyelids, not sure what he was thinking, and after a while, he replied faintly, "No."

Truly relentless until the end, not turning back until hitting a dead end—how can someone as smart as Henry Preston be so dull in matters of the heart?

I sighed softly, not wanting to say anything else, and got up to go upstairs and rest.

The next day, I received a message from Joel Sutton: Miss Hathaway, Azure and I have made up, thank you for your advice. I’ll treat you to a meal next time!

I pondered for a moment but didn’t reply, thinking to myself that Henry Preston would surely be upset again.

After freshening up, I went downstairs to have breakfast. Henry Preston was already sitting on the sofa, looking rather unhappy.

"Auntie Lawson, what’s for breakfast today?" I bypassed him and walked directly to the dining room.

"Three-flavor noodle soup, we made some marinated eggs last night. If you like, add one on top, it’s very fragrant." Laura Lawson answered while serving the noodles and also prepared some stewed bird’s nest and some cut fruit for me.

My appetite was piqued, and I sat down to eat. Before long, Henry Preston sat down in front of me as well.

Laura Lawson prepared him an identical breakfast.

As we ate, Henry Preston’s phone beeped once. After glancing at it, his expression turned visibly darker, and after just a couple of bites of noodle soup, he pushed it aside and got up to go.

"Don’t forget to come to my place at nine tomorrow morning." I reminded him.

Henry Preston ignored me and swiftly disappeared from the spacious living room.

The message just now was likely from Azure, and its content made Henry Preston very uncomfortable; otherwise, he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly.

I looked at Laura Lawson, who was tidying up the kitchen—did Azure tell her about being pursued by a married man? That married man just left.

"Auntie Lawson, I’m heading out and won’t be back for lunch." I informed Laura Lawson as I hurriedly left.

I had scheduled a full-body checkup—previously, I had mainly checked my breasts, which wasn’t comprehensive enough.

Your body is the foundation of revolution; I must take it seriously!

After spending most of the day getting the necessary checkups done at the hospital, I decided to visit Ivan Underwood’s department before leaving.

"Dr. Underwood!!"

As soon as I saw Ivan Underwood, I greeted him with an enthusiastic smile.

He was sitting at his desk eating a boxed meal, and when he saw me, he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Are you here alone?" I sat down next to him and craned my neck to look at his food, complimenting profusely, "Eating so simply and healthily, that’s great. I’ve always thought you’re different from that group of Henry Preston’s buddies—those idle young masters, whereas you are a gentleman as pure as water!"

Ivan Underwood glanced at me, looking indifferent, "What are you up to now? Planning to use me to provoke Henry Preston?"

Sure enough, he saw through me last time; it’s exhausting.

I quietly took out my phone, "Let me show you something."

I pulled up Joel Sutton’s social media; his cover photo was a picture of him and Azure, holding hands under a blue sky and white clouds, smiling foolishly and happily at the camera.

"Do you know this girl?" I asked, watching Ivan Underwood’s reaction intently.

Ivan glanced at it for a few seconds, a faint peculiar expression crossing his eyes, but it wasn’t the amazed look of love at first sight.

"No, but her boyfriend is Joel Sutton." Ivan’s focus was on Joel Sutton.

I was a bit stunned. Although the photo lacks the vibrancy of real life, in the previous lifetime, Ivan’s obsession with Azure was no less than Henry Preston’s—shouldn’t even a photo have stirred him?

Could it be that he only fell in love with Azure through subsequent interactions?

Had I known, I would have asked more during that partnership, and now I wouldn’t feel so confused.

"Yes," I adjusted my mindset and continued somewhat helplessly, "Did Henry Preston tell you she’s the university girl he’s pursuing?"

"I only know there’s such a person, but not the details," Ivan’s eyes deepened, "How do you know?"

Even if I overheard a few sentences at the teahouse that day, I wouldn’t be this clear.

I answered, "Because yesterday they had a breakup, and I was the one who went to persuade them. This girl, named Azure, is a sophomore in the Music Department at University A. She doesn’t know about my relationship with Henry Preston."

Ivan Underwood seemed about to ask me something else but noticed others returning, so he stopped.

Understanding the situation, I stood up and said, "Let’s have dinner together tonight; I can tell you a lot."

"Alright, you set the time and place." Ivan replied simply.

As I turned to leave, I heard his colleagues teasing him, "Is our Dr. Underwood finally in a relationship? A date tonight?"

I didn’t hear how Ivan responded to that.

In the end, I chose The Windchime Teahouse for the meeting—the same place Crystal Dawson took us last time. Its fragrant tea makes it very suitable for two people to discuss matters.

In the evening, Ivan Underwood arrived as planned.

I didn’t even go back, opting to take a nap on the tatami in the private room, and by the time he arrived, I was still dreaming.

"Hey, wake up." Ivan tapped my face gently.

I woke up, stretched, and then smiled apologetically at Ivan, "Sorry about my messy sleeping posture."

Ivan seemed to smirk a little himself and then sat down by the tea table.

After the tea artist had come in to brew tea for us, I dismissed her, and Ivan and I began discussing the matter at hand.

I recounted the series of events from encountering Azure at a café, to running into Joel Sutton, to becoming friends with them, and then remarked, "It’s such a coincidence. I never thought Henry Preston would like her."

"So the current situation is that you know the relationships between Henry Preston, Azure, and Joel Sutton, but they all don’t know your identity?" Ivan summed it up.

"Yes." I nodded.

"Why not just reveal it outright?" Ivan stared at me and asked.

"Don’t you know what kind of person Henry Preston is?" I retorted, "What good would revealing it do? Would he give up Azure because of me? No, even if I tried my hardest to obstruct and oppose, I couldn’t win back his heart. He never liked me; I’m not even an old flame—how could I compete with a new love?"

As I spoke, I grew more emotional, and the sense of despair and unwillingness from the previous life began to subtly resurface.

Ivan Underwood was slightly surprised; after all, despite all the past rumors involving Henry Preston, I had never been this agitated, though he wasn’t aware of future developments.