Ever since she dug up that "Far Sea Secret Medicine" in The Arcadian Lake, Melody Summers had been digging for lotus roots in the lake for several days, like she was on a treasure hunt, hoping to find another rare curiosity.

Unfortunately, she came up with nothing during that time.

She did, however, find plenty of wild water caltrops and river crabs in the lotus cultivation area, as well as a few small turtles.

Fresh water caltrops were sweet and crisp, like fruit. Melody Summers harvested them and put them in her storeroom, planning to find a chance to bring them home.

The Far Sea Secret Medicine had greatly piqued Melody Summers’s curiosity about the new areas, and she had been trying to figure out how to trigger an increase in her Peach Blossom Value these past few days.

But ever since she delivered the five thousand jars of loquat paste to Paige Walsh’s research institute, Melody Summers hadn’t received any notifications about her Peach Blossom Value increasing.

As the days passed, Melody Summers grew a little anxious.

’I might as well unlock it by spending money,’ she thought. ’Even if it’s ten billion, at least I’d know what the target is instead of running around like a headless chicken.’

On a brighter note, there was some good news these past two days: Sophie Thorne and Ronan Rhodes had registered their marriage.

Although they didn’t hold a wedding, Rhodes Enterprises and the Thorne Family’s company donated supplies to various distribution points in the city to celebrate their marriage registration. Even The Metropolis Residences got a share, with every homeowner able to claim a portion of sweet potatoes and potatoes with their ID.

The homeowners of The Metropolis Residences were as happy as if it were New Year’s. Everyone had been eating sand vine cakes for so long, and now they could finally eat normal food.

Boiling and mashing the potatoes and sweet potatoes, then adding the sugar distributed by the supply points, made for a delicious dessert.

A bellyful of carbohydrates like that seemed to sweep away the gloom of the perpetual darkness, and the community group chat had become much more positive and optimistic these past few days.

Sophie Thorne also brought wedding candy to Melody Summers’s house. As the two sat chatting in the tea room, Melody sighed, "Finally, the lovebirds are officially together. If it weren’t for the cataclysm, you two probably would have been married last year."

Melody Summers remembered them preparing for their wedding when they first moved in last April. In the blink of an eye, over a year had passed.

Then, Melody Summers asked curiously, "So what’s married life like? Is it even sweeter than before? Come on, let me live vicariously through you."

’A man and a woman getting married... does that count as a ’peach blossom’ event?’ Melody Summers wondered, grasping at straws. ’If I get my fill of their sweet stories, will my Peach Blossom Value go up?’

Hearing this, Sophie Thorne gave a helpless smile. She shook her head gently, her gaze falling as she sighed. "It just feels like there’s more and more to do."

The Rhodes Family ran a family business with numerous collateral branches, but the main lineage had long been without a matriarch.

Ronan Rhodes’s grandmother and mother had passed away, and his eldest uncle was still unmarried. So, after Sophie Thorne and Ronan Rhodes got married, all the duties of the Rhodes Family’s matriarch fell squarely on Sophie’s shoulders.

She not only had to keep an eye on the family’s investments but also deal with all sorts of relatives who came knocking, trying to get close to her.

It felt less like she had gotten married and more like she had just started a new management job at a corporation.

What’s more, Sophie Thorne barely managed her own family’s affairs, but now that she was married to Ronan, she had to entertain the Rhodes Family relatives, which left her utterly exhausted. She almost wished she hadn’t gotten married at all.

Seeing her sigh, Melody Summers grew curious and was about to ask for more details when her phone suddenly rang.

Melody Summers answered, confused. A familiar voice came from the other end. "Hello, Miss Summers, this is Holly Rhodes. Is it convenient for you to come out and meet with me?"

Unlike her arrogant tone last time, Holly Rhodes’s voice was sincere, even carrying a subtle, fawning quality.

Melody Summers thought for a moment and replied, "Okay."

’If I just stay at home all the time, I won’t run into any tasks that can increase my Peach Blossom Value,’ Melody Summers reasoned. ’It’s like playing a video game—how can you trigger events if you don’t explore the map?’

Holly Rhodes gave her the address and then hung up.

Melody Summers said to Sophie Thorne, "It’s Ronan’s cousin, Holly Rhodes, again. She wants to meet me at that tea house from before... She’s not still planning to plead for Simon Lancaster, is she?"

Sophie Thorne was taken aback. "Holly should have broken up with Simon Lancaster already. I heard Ronan mention that Holly’s father even asked him to introduce her to a new boyfriend a few days ago!"

Melody Summers was puzzled. ’If Holly and Simon have already split up, why would she want to see me? Other than Simon Lancaster, what other connection is there between us?’ 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With this doubt in her mind, Melody Summers decided to get up and head to the Oceanus Hotel for the meeting.

Sophie Thorne was worried about Melody Summers. The recent perpetual darkness had led to widespread unrest. Besides robberies, many kidnappings had occurred in downtown Anworth. So, she decided to go along with Melody.

Not only that, but she also had a few bodyguards follow them in a separate car, just in case.

*

When their group arrived at the tea house on the third floor of the Oceanus Hotel, Holly Rhodes was already waiting there.

Seeing Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne take their seats, Holly quickly placed several gift boxes and bags from beside her feet onto the table.

Under Melody Summers’s confused gaze, Holly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled sheepishly at her. "Miss Summers, this is a thank-you gift from me. Please, please accept it!"

Melody Summers looked at the pile of things on the table, surprised. She asked blankly, "A thank-you gift? ...Thank you for what?"

But Holly Rhodes sighed, let out a bitter laugh, and replied, "Thank you for telling me about Simon Lancaster and Sylvia Lancaster back then. It really helped me see someone’s true colors."

Then Holly told Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne what she had experienced that day at the Lancaster residence and the hospital.

Holly lamented, "I can’t believe it. My father did everything he could to help and promote him, but not only was he completely ungrateful, he and his sister were talking about me like that behind my back."

Thinking about the conversation she had overheard outside Sylvia Lancaster’s room that day made Holly feel both angry and sad.

Although she could be spoiled and willful, she believed she had been completely devoted to Simon Lancaster. Even when he was demoted, she never brought up breaking up.

On the contrary, she repeatedly asked her father to look out for him, brought him along to get face time with the higher-ups, and looked for opportunities for his promotion.

But she never expected that in Simon Lancaster’s eyes, she was just a stepping stone! And he couldn’t wait to kick that stepping stone away!

Recalling all this, Holly turned to Melody Summers again and said sincerely, "I thought about it, and I felt I really should bring a gift to thank you in person. If you hadn’t told me that Simon had feelings for his own sister, I would have ended up just like he planned—paving the way for him, only to be kicked to the curb."

Holly didn’t dare to imagine what would have become of her.

If Simon Lancaster had bided his time for a decade or more, using her family’s connections to climb the ladder, he could have completely bled her family dry.

Once Simon Lancaster was successful and famous, even if he couldn’t end up with Sylvia Lancaster, he could still marry a younger, more beautiful wife.

And what about her? She would have been used and abandoned, and probably even faced retaliation from him. What escape route would she have had then?

Just thinking about it sent a chill down Holly’s spine!

She felt that she owed her life to Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne. They had saved her.

Melody Summers listened quietly. ’So that’s what happened...’ she thought.

A while ago, Yuri Walsh had mentioned to Melody that Sylvia Lancaster had a miscarriage and that the Sutton Family had even taken a sample for a paternity test. She hadn’t been able to figure out what exactly had happened.

Now she knew. It was because Holly had walked in on their intimate moment. In a panic, Simon Lancaster pushed Sylvia, causing the miscarriage. Then, Holly had even reminded the Sutton Family to get a paternity test...

Something suddenly occurred to Melody Summers, and she asked with concern, "Sylvia Lancaster lost the baby. The Lancaster Family didn’t use that as an excuse to give you trouble, did they?"

The Lancasters were masters of the guilt trip. Melody had experienced it firsthand in her past life. Now that the baby was gone, she had a feeling the Lancaster Family would try to extort Holly.

Hearing this, Holly shook her head and said with some disdain, "They wouldn’t dare! Simon Lancaster is still doing grunt work at Rhodes Enterprises. How could they possibly try to extort me? If he dares to cause trouble, I’ll just have my dad take care of him!"

The Lancaster Family now relied entirely on Simon Lancaster’s job for support, so of course, they didn’t dare to offend Holly Rhodes.

Besides, the Lancasters were in the wrong from the start. Their biological son fell in love with his adopted sister. After their affair was exposed, the son, in a moment of panic, accidentally pushed the adopted sister, causing her to miscarry. No matter how you looked at it, Holly couldn’t be blamed.

Not to mention, Simon Lancaster had also been caught saying he would dump Holly as soon as he climbed the ranks.

Malicious, greedy, and a violation of public decency—if Holly’s family decided to pursue the matter, Simon Lancaster would almost certainly be fired from Rhodes Enterprises!

Melody Summers was stunned—

’Well, I’ll be. So the Lancasters are selective with their guilt-tripping!’

’The Lancasters thought I had no background and was easy to bully, so they’ve been guilt-tripping me for two lifetimes.’

’Now that they see Holly’s family is not to be trifled with, they don’t even dare to think about pulling their moral blackmail stunts!’

Thinking of this, Melody Summers almost laughed out of anger. In her mind, she added another black mark against the Lancaster Family’s name.