David Zhou half-jokingly replied, "Jealousy means you really care."
The smile at the corner of Sophie Mo's lips vanished instantly.
Lily Gao nodded in agreement and said, "That's right! If Henry Shaw gets too close to other women, I'd totally freak out."
Henry Shaw immediately protested, "Heaven knows! You're the only one who ever makes me jealous, Lily. I wouldn't dare make you jealous."
Lily Gao snuggled contentedly into her boyfriend's arms. "That's more like it."
David Zhou noticed Sophie Mo seemed lost in thought, her eyes lowered, and casually said, "My brother and his wife are just like you guys—always bickering, but they can't live without each other..."
Suddenly, Sophie Mo pushed her chair back and walked out without a word.
Lily Gao asked in confusion, "What's wrong with Sophie?"
Henry Shaw chimed in, "Did we say something we shouldn't have?"
But David Zhou quickly stood up and said to the others, "Sorry, something came up on my end. I'll have to excuse myself today—I'll make it up to you all next time."
With that, David Zhou turned and quickly followed after Sophie Mo.
"Sophie! Did I say something wrong? Are you upset?" David Zhou grabbed her arm.
Sophie Mo paused and turned to look at David Zhou. "David Zhou, you don't have to beat around the bush."
"I didn't—"
"David Zhou, I'm not stupid! Every word you say is hinting at me and Julian King. I bet you've heard plenty about my family's mess. Even if Julian and I don't end up together, it's not your place to provoke me! Anyone who thinks I'm a fool ends up being the real fool. David Zhou, don't push me!" Sophie Mo's eyes flashed sharply at him. "Don't make me get physical!"
"Sophie, we're friends, aren't we?" David Zhou immediately softened his tone. "I just want you to be happy, that's all. I'm not here to laugh at you. You know what kind of person I am, don't you? I've always been quiet, kept to myself, never had many friends. If I was the type to compete and show off, would I have missed my chance with you in my best years?"
Sophie Mo turned her head away from him.
David Zhou continued softly, "I admit, I'm greedy. When I heard the King family was treating you badly, I was furious. You're my bright moon, my starry sky, my blazing sun. I know I'm not good enough for you, but I can't help moving forward anyway. Do you really think I'd hint at you or mock you?"
Sophie Mo awkwardly pulled her arm back. "I'm not as great as you say."
"Back then, I was young and introverted. Even if I liked you, I never dared say it out loud. I could only watch you from afar, every smile, every gesture. Now we're both in our thirties, and I'm still not much braver. But if I'd known you were unhappy, even if you hated me for it, I would have stopped you."
The anger slowly faded from Sophie Mo's face. She said, "What's the point of talking about this now? Fine, I misunderstood you."
David Zhou let out a soft, low laugh. "Sophie, since we've said so much today, I don't mind risking rejection anymore. If you really want to leave the King Family, you can consider me. I promise, the Zhou Family won't give you any headaches, and I won't have any female friends to make you upset. If you don't want to consider me, I'll still be your old classmate and friend, and I'll protect you for the rest of your life."
It had been years since anyone had said something like that to Sophie Mo.
Even if Sophie Mo didn't like him, it was hard to be so cold-hearted.
Because David Zhou truly was a gentleman—bright, honest, and pure.
All these years, he'd kept his life clean, free of scandals, no gossip or drama.
The Zhou Family was upright, too—no messy business.
Facing a man like him, how ruthless would you have to be to hurt him?
"Sorry, I took it out on you just now." Sophie Mo turned and said, "Let's not meet anymore."
With that, Sophie Mo tried to walk away.
Just as expected, her wrist was grabbed.
"Sophie, why should Julian King be the only one to make you mad? Why can't you make him mad for a change? I don't mind being used by you. I'll cooperate with anything—let people take photos, send them to Julian. If he still cares about you, as a man, he can't accept his wife being so close to another man. My presence will force Julian to make a decision." David Zhou spoke quickly. "Don't feel guilty about using me. I know exactly what I'm getting into. For you, I'm willing!"
Sophie Mo suddenly looked up at David Zhou. "Why bother? You're not lacking in anything. Why not just have a normal relationship?"
"Do you think I could fall for anyone else? With my beautiful moon, my starry sky, my blazing sun—how could I ever see the dust on the ground?" David Zhou smiled, eyes downcast. "I'll think about myself after you find happiness. My brother will carry on the family line, and my parents aren't rushing me to get married."
"You say that, and now I can't be selfish." Sophie Mo looked at David Zhou seriously. "I really do think of you as a friend. It's because we're friends that I can't bear to use you."
"But it's too late." David Zhou grinned slyly. "Someone already took pictures of our argument and sent them to Julian King. Sorry, Sophie, I acted first and told you later. If Julian really loves you, he'll make a sacrifice for you. If he doesn't, I'll cut the tie between you two and protect you instead!"
"You..." Sophie Mo shook her head, helpless. "What am I supposed to say to you?"
David Zhou just smiled. "We're friends, right? Isn't it normal to go all out for a friend?"
"Do whatever you want." Sophie Mo said helplessly. "I've made myself clear. Anyway, I'm all messed up right now. I'm going to find Rona for a drink. See you!"
With that, Sophie Mo rushed out, looking a bit flustered, as if she were fleeing.
Watching Sophie Mo's retreating figure, David Zhou slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes full of seriousness and stubbornness.
This was his lifelong obsession.
An obsession he could never let go of.
Sophie Mo turned and headed straight to Rona Muir's house.
"Wow, a rare guest!" Rona Muir kicked off her heels, grinned, and walked over to Sophie Mo, who was drinking at her home bar. "I don't have fancy drinks here."
"I'm annoyed." Sophie Mo glared at Rona Muir. "Cici's been dragged out by Charles Yin for another business dinner, so you're the only one I can vent to."
"Alright." Rona Muir turned to the housekeeper. "Tonight, just prepare a few snacks for the two of us."
Then Rona Muir took the bottle and poured Sophie Mo a drink. "Ping Shan's busy with experiments today and can't make it home. The kids are with my parents, so tonight, I'll drink with you!"
"You're the best!" Sophie Mo happily slapped the table. "No one treats me better than you!"
"So, what's up now?" Rona Muir sat down across from Sophie Mo and got straight to the point. "Looks like you've got plenty of admirers lately!"
"When have I not had admirers?" Sophie Mo rolled her eyes. "I'm just annoyed."
"Tell me about it."
"I have an old classmate, David Zhou—we've known each other since kindergarten. He liked me even when we were little. Back then, I didn't get it and just thought of him as a good friend. By middle school, I started to realize he treated me differently than others, so I began to avoid him."
"Later, we went to different colleges and lost touch. I thought those feelings from our youth had faded. Who knew, I ran into him again a few days ago—and found out he'd never let go of that old crush."
"But, Rona, even if I break up with Julian King, I still don't like him. So I just told him straight, but he said he doesn't want me to feel any pressure—he just wants to be good to me. Isn't he silly? I'm not some naive eighteen-year-old who gets swept away by sweet words." Sophie Mo couldn't help but spill everything to Rona Muir. "Julian's side is a mess, too. Back in high school, there was a girl who had a crush on him. Her name's Dale, she's a model, and she's still single. My unreliable mother-in-law somehow dug her up and pushed her at Julian. And Julian seems to treat her differently—he's rejected everyone else but kept Dale around."
Rona Muir's smile faded, and she grew serious. "Sophie, are you sure Julian King and that Dale are really different?"
"I'm in China, but I have eyes everywhere. My people are always watching the King Family. They're loyal and reliable—my brother found them for me, so the info is solid." Sophie Mo said, "Julian and I have had our ups and downs, but our relationship's still okay. The King Family keeps pushing me to have a second child, but I don't want to. Julian hasn't said anything, but I can't rule out that he wants it."
"That's interesting." Rona Muir said. "Sophie, step back and look at this from a distance. Doesn't it seem a little too coincidental?"
"Yeah, that's what I think too. Julian King suddenly has Dale around, and I suddenly have David Zhou. And both Dale and David are playing the role of devoted supporting characters." Sophie Mo gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Now I'm curious who's directing this whole show."
"I bet Julian's already got those photos of me and David Zhou being close. What's funny is, he hasn't called to ask about it, just like I haven't called him about Dale. Would you call that a tacit understanding between us?" Sophie Mo said.
"That's some serious tacit understanding." Rona Muir said. "Maybe Julian and Dale are just like you and David Zhou—waiting to see what happens next."