Chapter 1

Blurb:

Joanna Stone chased Ethan Quinn for seven years, suffering cold looks and humiliation, just to complete the system mission and resurrect her true lover Liam White.

One week before the wedding, Ethan's old love Serena Blair returned to the city.

He ruined Joanna's career for Serena, forced her to apologize in public, and even let Serena try on the wedding dress she designed herself.

Joanna endured it all because she just wanted the wedding to go smoothly.

But on the wedding day, Ethan abandoned her in public for Serena, destroying her last hope with his own hands.

After the mission failed, Joanna completely disappeared.

Later, Ethan learned that the woman he had never cherished had never come to love him from the beginning.

"Welcome to my food livestream channel. Today I will show you one of Graybridge's hardest-to-book fine dining restaurants..."

Joanna Stone showed her iconic smile to the camera, with several exquisite and picturesque dishes in front of her.

As a leading food streamer with over 10 million fans on the Internet, her livestream online audience instantly exceeded 100,000.

Just as she was about to take her first bite, the private room door was suddenly pushed open.

There was a burst of chaotic footsteps and joking laughter.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Quinn's shadow. What, he doesn't have time for you today, so you came here to smile for money?"

Joanna's hand holding the knife and fork paused, and the smile froze on her face.

The visitors were several well-known wealthy men from Graybridge, and the one in the middle was her fiancé whom she had been chasing for seven years and who was about to get married in a week — Ethan Quinn.

Ethan was wearing a neatly tailored black haute couture suit, with a stern look on his face, and undisguised indifference and boredom in his dark eyes.

He just glanced at her, as if looking at a cheap ornament.

"Ethan, your fiancée is so down-to-earth. The bride-to-be of the Quinn family is not ashamed to advertise the restaurant online every day." The person next to him deliberately raised his voice.

The livestream barrage exploded instantly.

[What is going on? Anna is engaged to the president of Quinn Group?]

[These people are awful. Since when is being a food streamer shameful?]

[Look at Quinn's face. He clearly can't stand her. Is she the one clinging to him?]

Joanna took a deep breath, ignored the harsh taunts, and just looked at Ethan quietly.

"I'm working." Her voice was soft but enough for everyone to hear clearly.

Ethan walked up to her and looked down at her condescendingly.

He stretched out his slender fingers and pressed directly on her phone holder, with a cold tone: "Turn it off."

"I have signed a contract for this promotion, and the penalty fee..."

"I told you to shut it down." Ethan cut her off, anger flashing in his eyes. "Joanna, have you forgotten who you are? The Quinn family does not need someone chasing attention online."

A sharp pain stabbed through Joanna's chest, like a cluster of fine needles.

Joanna pursed her lips, looked at his cold face, and finally reached out and forcibly cut off the livestream in front of 100,000 viewers.

The moment the screen went black, the room burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, Ethan really trained her well. So obedient. He says turn it off, and she turns it off."

"Since the livestream is off, why don't you serve us today, Ms. Food Streamer? We haven't eaten yet. Clear this table and serve us again."

This blatant humiliation made Joanna's fingertips dig deep into her palms.

She looked up at Ethan, trying to find a hint of protection in his eyes.

No.

Ethan just walked to the main seat and sat down, leaning against the back of the chair lazily, and coldly uttered two words: "Pour the wine."

He acquiesced in their humiliation.

In fact, he was the leader of this humiliation.

Joanna felt a little sore in her eyes, but she held it back.

She stood up, picked up the decanter on the table, walked to Ethan, bent slightly, and slowly poured the red wine into his glass.

"That's right. Know your position." The young master next to him laughed more and more crazily.

Joanna was like a soulless puppet, mechanically pouring wine and serving dishes for them, and listened to their bottomless belittling of her career and origins.

[Ding—]

A mechanical electronic tone suddenly rang in her mind.

[Host, mission progress has reached 99%. As long as your wedding to Ethan is completed in one week, you will receive the final reward.]

Hearing this sound, Joanna's tense body miraculously relaxed.

It doesn't matter, she told herself.

As long as she can get through this week, as long as the wedding goes smoothly, she can complete the system's mission.

She didn't care how Ethan humiliated her, nor did she care whether he loved her or not.

She did all this, endured all the injustice and followed him for seven years, just in exchange for the only reward — resurrecting her true lover, Liam White.

"Enough. Looking at you ruins my appetite." Ethan suddenly set down his glass with a sharp clink.

He stood without sparing her another glance. "Go settle the bill, then get out."

Joanna lowered her head and responded softly: "Okay."

She turned towards the bar and settled the six-figure bill.

When she walked out of the restaurant, it started to rain heavily outside.

The cold rain hit her face, but she didn't hide. She just looked at the countdown on the screen of her phone.

Seven days left.

Liam, wait for me.