Daisy's mind suddenly cleared a little from Adel's manipulative influence.
She stared blankly ahead, lost in thought.
Zhou Yi didn’t know what had crossed her mind, but her expression had abruptly shifted.
"Daisy, what’s wrong?"
"There’s a problem troubling me, but I don’t know who to turn to for answers."
She had no one to rely on, no confidant to share her burdens with. Even when distress weighed on her, there was no one to listen.
Zhou Yi’s presence offered her a sliver of relief—a chance to catch her breath.
With a gentle smile, he reassured her:
"You can talk to me. Keeping worries bottled up isn’t good. Speaking them aloud helps, even if I can’t solve them. At the very least, I can be a good listener."
A faint smile touched Daisy’s delicate face. She couldn’t be sure of the intentions of other men around her, but this kind soul before her was different.
Daisy confessed her identity to Zhou Yi and revealed Adel’s plan to auction off her virginity.
Though the topic was shameful, it was an open secret among those present. Sooner or later, Zhou Yi would hear the truth from others’ whispers.
The answer ignited Zhou Yi’s fury.
"Daisy, you shouldn’t listen to him. He’s just using you."
"I can’t believe such a brother exists in this world. He doesn’t deserve to be called human."
"A nation’s survival shouldn’t rest on your shoulders."
Daisy lowered her eyes in sorrow.
"But I have no choice. The Duke of Y truly holds the power to decide whether our countries go to war again. I can’t bear to see more bloodshed on this land."
"Our royal family has failed to bring our people happiness, yet they still suffer endless wars. It shames me."
Zhou Yi wasn’t her. He couldn’t understand her resolve.
If Daisy were selfish, she could flee—but she wasn’t that kind of person.
Her heart belonged to her country and its people. She couldn’t abandon them.
"Daisy, I don’t understand. I respect your willingness to sacrifice for your nation, but not like this—not by enduring such humiliation."
"You’re a princess. How heartbroken would your mother be if she knew?"
Daisy’s eyes reddened instantly.
Biting her lip, she turned away. "What else can I do? If I leave, innocent people will suffer. I think... my mother would understand."
Zhou Yi patted her head. "Come with me, Daisy. Leave this banquet. Give yourself a moment to breathe. You look like you’re on the verge of collapse. Holding on like this isn’t helping anyone."
Daisy wavered.
After a final hesitation, she asked, "But where would I go? If I disappear, won’t there be chaos? How will my brother face them?"
Zhou Yi took her hand and stood. "That’s not your concern. Adel can figure it out himself."
He led her to Jones.
Jones had been conversing with a high-ranking official when she spotted Zhou Yi and Daisy approaching. Surprise flickered across her face.
After exchanging pleasantries with the official, Jones joined Zhou Yi in a secluded corner, casting a discreet glance at Daisy.
"Zhou, what’s going on...?"
"I’m taking Daisy away after the luncheon."
"What’s between you two? A date?"
Jones wasn’t pleased. Though she pitied Daisy, her fondness for Zhou Yi made it hard to watch him leave with another woman.
Zhou Yi chuckled helplessly and pulled out his phone, showing Jones some photos.
"Actually, Daisy resembles my late sister. Seeing her in this state pains me, so I want to help her escape."
Relief washed over Jones as she studied the images.
So that was why. No wonder Zhou Yi had asked about Daisy earlier.
Worried, she said, "I know you mean well, but have you considered how she’ll face her brother afterward? We can’t let impulse ruin her life."
Zhou Yi countered, "If it were you, would you rather leave with me or stay here to be taken by a stranger after the banquet?"
Jones paused. Perhaps she’d been too pragmatic, fearing consequences over Daisy’s immediate anguish.
"She needs this recklessness. Otherwise, she’ll never break free from Adel’s grip. Truthfully, Adel can’t do much to her. Compared to being violated by a stranger, would his scolding really be worse?"
Convinced, Jones sighed. "I just don’t want you dragged into this. It’s not your fight. But your actions only prove I was right about you."
Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Zhou Yi.
She hadn’t misjudged him.
In this entire banquet, he was the only man who’d reached out to Daisy.
If she were in Daisy’s place, she’d choose to leave with Zhou Yi too.
As for Adel’s wrath—that was a problem for later. At least Daisy would escape her ordeal for now.
"After lunch, take her through the back door. I’ll cover for you here and distract Adel, steering his attention elsewhere."
"Thank you, Jones."
"Don’t mention it. As a woman, I’m glad to help her."
Zhou Yi returned to Daisy and explained the plan. She nodded nervously.
"Go back now, before your brother notices. If he keeps his eyes on you, it’ll be trouble."
Daisy obeyed, slipping back to her secluded corner.
Luckily, Adel hadn’t noticed her absence.
Her heart raced—this was her first act of rebellion.
Like a golden canary about to flee its cage, she trembled with excitement and hope.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
