In 1980.
At dusk, beyond the sea level, a large white cruise ship silently
created ripples on the sea surface, moving closer to the neon-lit
Victoria Harbor.
A party was being held on the first floor of the cruise ship.
Beneath the hazy light, sound waves reverberated thunderously, as a
group of men and women swayed and entangled with the rhythm of the
music.
Farid Wells hid in a corner booth,
dressed in a sleek black suit. His long legs were crossed, his broad and
upright shoulders leaned slightly back against the sofa. His dark eyes
calmly surveyed the noisy crowd, seeming as if he was a sovereign
scrutinizing the mortal realm.
Noble yet aloof.
The host of the party, Jerome White, came over with a stemmed glass, boldly crossing his legs, "Mr. Farid, do you want some relaxation?"
"See that chick in the middle? She's brought over from Belarus, quite exquisite, right?"
Farid did not even bother to lift
his eyelids, "This is what you call discussing serious matters? Any news
about the person I asked you to find?"
Jerome put his wine glass down on the short table before him, finally looking a bit more formal,
"Well, when you asked me to find someone, you should've given me more information."
"Among the more than thirty million people in X City, there are countless women with the surname Larson. How is this different from finding a needle in a haystack?"
There was no progress on the matter.
Farid subtly furrowed his brows, the surrounding air pressure plummeting.
Rarely seeing him emotionally fluctuated over a woman, Jerome was genuinely curious, "Hey, what exactly is your relationship with Miss Larson, the one you're seeking?"
The reason for his search, Farid
naturally could not say.
Because no one knows that the usually cool and dignified, who is like a
flower in the mountains, has been having a great time with a woman in
his dreams every night.
This woman has a creamy, snowy complexion, an attractive figure, and
emits a faint fragrance that he cannot quite place but finds incredibly
appealing. Every time she's beneath him, she weeps softly, like a
whimpered cry of a kitten.
Despite being a man who has always upheld restraint in desire, he
repeatedly broke his own rules for her.
Unfortunately, he could never see the woman's face clearly in his
dreams, only knowing her last name — Miss Larson.
He vowed to find the woman who disturbed his peaceful dreams.
"Alright, let's not talk about your Miss Larson," Getting nowhere with his inquiry, Jerome
merely shrugged it off, his eyes brimming with gossip as he brought up
another topic, "But you can tell us about your bride-to-be from the
mainland, right? The rumor circles are buzzing, saying how your father
had already arranged your marriage since childhood, is that true?"
Farid indifferently loosened his shirt collar, and tossed him a single word, "Go away."
Jerome, unbothered by the scolding, only laughed brighter, "Well, I just wanted to confirm the rumors, why are you so mad?"
"You're pushing your luck." Farid
grasped his coat which was draped on the armrest of the sofa and stood
up.
The black shirt he wore highlighted his physique perfectly — wide
shoulders, slim waist, long legs, and an upright stature.
His handsome yet unapproachable face, well-defined eyebrows and eyes,
prominent nose, blessed with an almost perfect bone structure.
Since stepping aboard the cruise ship, he attracted countless glances.
Ignoring all the women clinking their glasses wanting to approach him,
he briskly walked away.
The Wells family made their fortune in shipping, and now their business is spread across various industries, holding the top position in X City's wealthy circles.
Farid is the sole young master of the Wells family's
eldest part.
Not only is he extraordinary looking, but he also has great ability and
strategy, holding significant power in the family enterprise.
He is the most sought-after second-generation heir of the wealthy
family.
At this moment, somewhere in the rural...
"Creak--"
Annie Larson turned over and the
wooden bed squeaked along with her.
Having turned around a few times, she felt a faint sour and swollen
sensation in her lower stomach, as if her body was soft and her bones
were disjointed.
By habit, her delicate small hand rubbed her lower stomach, she
gradually woke up.
Annie has a secret, for the past
year, she would entangle with a man in her dreams every night.
In the beginning, she thought it was due to her ovulation period, and
that everything would be okay after a few days.
However, it continued every night, and it was always the same man.
Fortunately, the man was handsome, had a great physique, and she was
aesthetically pleased with his appearance in every aspect which made her
not resentful. She even got used to it, and decided to treat it as
having a boyfriend who she could only see at night.
While her mind was still relishing the dream from last night, a
clamorous noise suddenly flooded into the room.
"You lazy girl! Why are you still at home?!"
"Today is the day you have your rendezvous with Sam.
He's already booked the restaurant in the town to wait for you, and
here you are, still lounging around!"
"I'm telling you, if this marriage falls through, you'll have to marry a
spinster from the village!" said the middle-aged woman, who was Annie's Aunt Marry Lee.
As she spoke, she moved to pull the quilt off Annie.
Before her dirt-covered hand could touch the quilt, she was taken aback by the sight of Annie's
beautiful face, like a fresh peach blossom, looking as though she had
just been loved by a man. Her cotton floral dress was slightly open at
the collar, revealing a glimpse of her fair skin, and the rounded curves
underneath were enough to make any woman swallow hard.
Marry couldn't help but feel
jealous: Damn it, why was this girl so filled out even though she was
exposed to the wind and sun every day and couldn't afford good food?
Even her disheveled appearance just after waking up looked better than
others.
Let’s not even mention how seductive she looked, which was too alluring.
Indeed, comparisons are truly odious.
"Slap—"
Just as she was cursing inwardly, her hand got slapped, and Marry instantly came back to her senses, glaring unhappily at the person before her.
This was outrageous! The wench actually dared to hit her?!
Annie met her gaze unflinchingly, "Auntie, since you are so keen on Sam Torres, why don’t you marry your daughter to him?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Annie was taken aback.
Her voice had become so... soft? The sharpness in her words was significantly diminished.
Before she could figure it out, Marry
crossed her arms over her chest, looking as though she wanted to kill
her with her gaze:
"Tsk! How dare you talk like that to your elders? You ungrateful girl!"
"We want what's best for you, hoping you to find a good husband, so you
won't have to worry about the life in the future. But look at yourself,
is there anything about you that's impressive?"
"You don't come from a good family, or have any education. And you can't
even maintain a decent appearance. To be able to marry into the Torres family
is such a blessing that must've taken eight lifetimes to earn. If you
don't seize this opportunity, you're destined to regret it for the rest
of your life!"
Marry continued in one breath, yet deep down she knew clearly. The match she introduced to Annie, Sam,
apart from having a wealthy family, was short and ugly, looking as if a
tree stump. In private, he has a reputation for womanizing.
If one is not robust enough, she might be crushed by him in bed.
Or else why would Annie get a shot at this marriage?
She would've proposed it to her own daughter long ago!
Hearing Marry openly belittling her, Annie
calmly pushed away the bed covers and slipped into her cloth shoes.
"Auntie, you're right. I'm unattractive, poor, and uneducated. Why
should I even consider marriage? "
"The point is, my parents are both deceased, but I have a mountain of
relatives. After marrying in, today one cousin will ask for a job
arrangement, tomorrow another cousin will want some benefits. Is the Torres family marrying a daughter-in-law, or are they bringing home endless troubles?"
Her soft voice shot words like daggers straight at Marry's heart.
Marry exploded like a firework, raising her voice: "You little brat, who are you cursing at?"
"You, who grew up without proper guidance, really deserve all the bad fortune! You should be begging to get married!"
"Ptui!"
Despite being verbally abused, Annie's
expression didn't change in the slightest.
After getting dressed and tidying up her braids, she casually shot back:
"Your daughter, though, you've taught her well. She's over twenty but
still idling at home."
"You!" Unable to retort, Marry stomped her foot and glaring fiercely at Annie before turning around to exit.
The room quietened down instantly.
Only then did Annie have the chance
to truly ponder over her current predicament.
She had time-traveled.
She had traveled back in time from the future to the 80s, into the body
of a girl who bore the same name and lived in the countryside.
Both had identical appearances and figures, but their souls were
different.
The original owner was an orphan, with only her sister and grandfather
to rely on.
Unfortunately, her grandfather was seriously ill and her sister was too
weak and incompetent to handle matters. As a result, their relatives
started to have designs on the original owner.
Simply put, it was because Annie
was extremely beautiful.
Her skin was fair and smooth, her figure curvaceous and appealing. Her
body seemed to be sculpted consciously, growing in all the right places
and refraining where it wasn't necessary.
Her delicate face was like that of a perfect sculpture, with a pair of
fox-like eyes. Her double eyelids were just right, her eyelashes were
dense and curly, and the corners of her eyes slightly tilted upwards,
effortlessly captivating everyone's attention.
Her nose was small and turned-up, and her lips were as pink and moist as
the peach.
Even the fairy couldn't surpass her beauty.
In the eyes of her relatives in the Larson family, with such beauty, she was destined to marry well and bring fortune to their family.
As if on cue, Sam, the son of the director of the municipal water plant, happened to see Annie during his inspection of the village reservoir and was immediately taken with her.
At that time, a position in the water plant was highly sought after.
If Annie were to marry into the Torres family, even her cousins would be able to secure a job at the water plant.
After all, both of Annie's parents were dead, and the decision of whom she should marry was left to the senior members of her family.
And thus, led to the meeting between Annie and Sam.