"No... It’s nothing. I just realized that I haven't bought the things I wanted to bring with me when I visit Grandma tomorrow."In truth, she had already bought the pastries, but they had been thrown into the trash by the Hall family's people."Oh," he said, "I've bought it for you. It's on the coffee table."She turned to the coffee table in the room and saw a familiar shopping bag. Was that... The shopping bag from the pastry shop in the mall that she had gone to earlier that day? Could it be that he... had bought exactly the same things she had for her?"Are those the same things I bought today?""Yeah," he replied. "I also added some other items.""But how did you... uh, how did you know what I bought?"Even if he had seen her through the security cameras, at most, he could only have seen the shopping bag, right?"I just went through the transaction statements in the mall and figured out what you bought."Serenity finally understood. For other people, this was not such a d

But to her surprise, what she saw next was Jackson ordering his driver to bring over his own car which was worth less than fifty thousand dollars. This startled Serenity."Didn't you say you wanted a humble car?" Jackson asked."Well, yeah... I just wanted a more humble car so that it won't attract too much attention when we get there. It's a really small town, and I don't want anyone to spread any rumors. I'm worried that Grandma will get worried when she hears it. But are you seriously going to drive this car there?""Why not?" Jackson smiled. "Come on, hop in."It was only when she got into the car that Serenity realized the driver had been ordered to get out because Jackson was going to be driving it himself."You're driving?" she asked."Uh-huh," he replied, speaking as he started the engine. "It's not that far, anyway. If you're feeling sleepy, go ahead and take a nap. I know the way."She pursed her lips without realizing it as she watched him drive. It would take more th

She turned to him with a searching look and asked, "What's wrong?""Have you thought about how you're going to introduce me later?" he asked.She was stunned for a moment but quickly replied, "I'm going to introduce you as my boyfriend, of course.""Okay," Jackson smiled gently, "Let's go, then."The two then got out of the car. Serenity walked up to the door and knocked on it. Not long afterward, the door opened, but the person she was greeted by was not her grandmother. Instead, it was her aunt, Theresa.Theresa's expression turned shifty as soon as she recognized Serenity."Oh!" she cried. "So it's you, Serenity! Why, you’ve even brought along another guest!"As she spoke, she glanced outside, but when she saw a humble car parked outside, her gaze toward Serenity was instantly filled with a trace of mockery.Everyone had assumed that this niece of hers had managed to nab a rich man for herself. After all, Serenity had even been rescued by a chivalrous man from Felix Foster's

"Are you done seeing your grandma?" Jackson asked."She's still sleeping," replied Serenity. "I don't want to disturb her, so I'll just wait here for now."As she spoke, she saw her cousin, Lynette, approaching them with two cups of tea, which were then placed in front of her and Jackson.Lynette then offered, "Have some tea, Serenity!"A look of surprise flashed in Serenity's eyes. All her life, whenever she came here, Lynette had never bothered to offer her any beverages at all."Say, Serenity, why don't you introduce this gentleman you’ve brought with you to us?"It was Aunt Theresa who uttered those words, albeit with a tone laced with bitterness."This is Jack," said Serenity. "He's my boyfriend."Serenity was careful not to reveal Jackson's full name for fear that her relatives would cause trouble if they found out who he really was. All she wanted now was for her grandmother to live in peace as she neared the end of her life."Boyfriend?!" Lynette exclaimed in surprise.

It felt like this man would never allow anyone to say a single bad word about Serenity.Envy and jealousy simmered in Lynette's heart. How had someone like Serenity managed to get such a handsome boyfriend who did not mind that she used to be in prison at all, while she herself, who had gotten married when she was young, had only managed to nab a blacksmith?!Back then, she used to think that marrying a blacksmith was not that bad at all since at the very least, a blacksmith would always have a stable job. Besides, the dowry gifts she had gotten from him were more than generous. But as time went by, she had begun to regret this choice more and more.All her friends she used to be close with when she was younger now lived much better lives than her in the city. In fact, most of them had even married men who were white-collar workers, civil servants, and company managers—all sounding so impressive that she began to be embarrassed to admit that her husband was only a blacksmith.Over

A flash of humiliation struck Lynette's face. Those words Jackson spoke were like a hard slap on her cheek!When Aunt Theresa saw this, she was visibly annoyed and complained to Serenity, "Say, Serenity, your cousin was clearly trying to be friendly just now! Why does your boyfriend have to be so arrogant?! He's our guest here yet he expects us to treat him like a prince?""My boyfriend is a bit shy with strangers," Serenity replied nonchalantly, "so he tends to maintain a distance from the people he's not very familiar with."Both Theresa and Lynette almost choked on their own saliva.Shy?! That man was obviously not shy! But every time that man swept his glance lazily over them, their hearts started to beat violently, almost as if they could not help but be terrified of his gaze.Theresa forced a smile and said nothing more, but Lynette persisted and went on to ask Serenity and Jackson when they had met each other and how they had begun dating each other. She was doing everyth

"What are you talking about, Mom? There's no way we would dare to bully Serenity when her boyfriend's here today. We even have to respectfully address her boyfriend as Mr. Jack!" Theresa mocked sarcastically.Granny was surprised. "Boyfriend? Serenity has a boyfriend? Quick, let me see him!""Okay, I'll tell him to come in," said Serenity. She exited the room.Theresa said unhappily, "Mom, I wouldn't be so happy if I were you. Serenity's boyfriend looks like a good-for-nothing. He might even be a swindler!"She did not wish to see her niece find a good boyfriend because that would mean Serenity had one-upped her own daughter."Enough. Serenity is a smart child. She wouldn't fall for sweet words that easily. I'll see for myself if the man is really a swindler!" said Granny.Theresa pouted. After Serenity brought Jackson into the room, Grandma looked at Jackson with a smile on her face and said, "So you're Serenity's boyfriend? What's your name?"Serenity was going to introduce Ja

Jackson bent down a little and asked softly in Serenity's ear, "Is it?""…" Serenity was speechless. How could she answer that?!Granny sighed and held her granddaughter's hand. "You have to hurry up or I'm afraid I won't be able to attend your wedding."Serenity was stunned. When her grandmother held her hand, she realized that her grandmother was much thinner than before. She could feel the bones in her grandmother's fingers with a light grip.It was as if there was only a thin layer of skin wrapped around her grandmother's bones, without any flesh.Granny... had aged more than she expected.Serenity felt a pang of sadness, and it showed on her face."Hey, why are you looking sad again?" Granny gently patted the back of Serenity's hand and said, "I'm glad to see that you're living well and there's someone taking care of you. I wouldn't know how to face your mother after I die otherwise.""Granny, don't say that!" Serenity rebuked anxiously. Superstition or not, she was really

"Thank goodness you look different now," Jackson murmured. He did not want a woman like that to have Serenity's face.But the fact that they looked alike when they were kids was... quite fortunate.Jackson's eyelashes trembled slightly as he looked down in contemplation, his long eyelashes covering up the schemes and calculations in his eyes...-Jackson and Serenity stayed for dinner. Serenity's grandfather, Henry Walker, returned home in the evening. His attitude towards Serenity was cold and his attitude towards Jackson was even worse.Serenity was used to it, but when she saw her grandfather's attitude towards Jackson, she looked towards Jackson with some concern.After all, considering Jackson's status, not many people would dare to treat him this way.However, Jackson merely smiled at Serenity. As if he could tell what her concern was, he hinted with his eyes that she did not have to worry.Serenity was relieved.Because Granny was in a good mood, she had a bigger dinner

"Good, good. You've always been such a filial granddaughter, Serenity," Granny said with a smile.Filial? A touch of gloom appeared on Serenity's face. If she really was filial, she would have taken her grandmother to the city to live with her so that she could take care of her.However, right now, she was living with Jack. If she wanted to do so, she would have to talk to him first and get his consent."If you don't mind, Granny, why don't you come stay with Serenity in Solaria so that she can take care of you?" Jackson suddenly asked.Serenity looked at Jackson in surprise. She did not expect him to propose that.Granny seemed to be surprised as well. She smiled and said, "That's very kind of you, but I'm used to staying here. Besides, I have children of my own, so if I let my granddaughter take care of me instead, people will gossip. When I feel better, I'll go visit you two in Solaria."Granny turned to Serenity and said, "You better go now or you'll get back home really late