Meanwhile, Melody Summers felt that her run-in with the bizarre couple, Ivan Warren and Maisie Lynch, was a terrible omen. It was as if the very air on the 16th floor had been polluted by them.

Seeing Melody’s pouty expression the moment she walked in, Miss Lowell asked with concern, "What’s wrong now? Who got you all worked up?"

Melody forced a smile and replied, "It’s nothing. Just a couple of annoying people who moved in next door..."

Under her family’s worried gazes, Melody recounted what had happened with apartment 1602 next door.

Grace Sutton shook her head repeatedly as she listened, frowning. "That girl is so foolish. Her parents worked so hard to get her into a top university. How could she just drop out for some man!"

Her grandmother sighed as well, patting Melody’s head comfortingly. "Don’t worry about such frustrating people. I’ll make you seafood tonight!"

Sophie Thorne had brought over a lot of seafood today, and it was all currently soaking in a basin in the kitchen.

Melody’s eyes lit up instantly at the words. Seafood?

She hadn’t had time to visit her space these past two days. She’d completely forgotten that she had an entire Ocean of her own.

Melody went back to her room, locked the door, and changed into some light clothes and a pair of plastic sandals. Grabbing a bucket and a small shovel, she teleported into her space.

Listening to the system prompt, she selected the beach as her destination.

The next second, Melody’s sandaled feet landed on the soft shore. Fine grains of sand slipped between her toes, creating a ticklish sensation.

She took a deep breath, enjoying the caress of the sea breeze and the sound of the crashing waves as she gazed out toward the distant sea.

In the distance, the Offshore Oil Field platform was operating nonstop, continuously processing oil.

The large ship from the Odyssey Station had not yet returned. It seemed this voyage would take quite a while.

Melody strolled along the beach with Albus. It was currently low tide. The water had receded, revealing the damp sand and reefs.

The waves lapped gently against the shore, creating a pleasant sound, and the air was filled with the salty tang of the sea breeze.

The sky was as blue as a sapphire, dotted with leisurely drifting white clouds. Sunlight cast a golden glow, illuminating the entire beach.

Melody held a small metal shovel in one hand and a little red bucket in the other. She bent over, observing the beach after the tide had gone out. Following the instructions from a beachcombing video she had watched before, she began to dig with her little shovel.

She gently dug open one sand hole and sand mound after another, searching for the razor clams and moon snails hidden within.

A few small crabs occasionally scuttled by on the beach. With a light poke from Melody, they would panic and flee in all directions. Melody quickly took a few steps forward and, with nimble hands, snatched them up and placed them in her bucket.

After rummaging around on the beach for a while, Melody’s little bucket was filled with all sorts of crabs and shellfish.

Next, she ran over to the distant reefs, carefully treading on the slippery rocks, and began searching for small, stranded fish caught in the crevices...

******

While Melody was engrossed in her beachcombing, back in apartment 1602, Maisie Lynch finished packing the last box of luggage. She stood up, hand on her lower back, panting slightly.

Wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, she looked out the window at the community square below, a gratified smile gracing her face.

’Finally...’ she thought. ’I finally have a place of my own in this big city!’

’Once Ivan and I get our marriage certificate, I’ll be the lady of this house!’

That’s right. Maisie and Ivan hadn’t registered their marriage yet. According to the rules of Ivan’s family, Maisie had to give birth to a son before they could get the certificate.

The baby she was pregnant with during college was confirmed to be a girl after a blood test in Portellis. Persuaded by Ivan’s family, she had hesitated but ultimately had an abortion.

After that, she kept trying to conceive. Unfortunately, the next two pregnancies were also girls, and she had no choice but to terminate them as well.

At this thought, Maisie sighed silently. She could only pray to the heavens that she would conceive a boy soon.

Maisie stood by the window for a moment but didn’t dare to rest for long. She picked up a rag and began wiping down the cabinets and floor.

Ivan was sprawled on the sofa, leisurely playing on his phone. He glanced over and saw Maisie kneeling on the floor, wiping it clean. "You should take a break, too," he said casually. "Don’t wear yourself out."

He said the words, but he showed no intention of getting up to help.

Hearing Ivan’s words, Maisie felt herself bubbling with happiness.

Ivan was not only capable, but he was also considerate of her. In Maisie’s heart, he was the perfect husband.

So, Maisie looked up at Ivan and answered obediently, "I’m not tired, Ivan. I’m just so happy. We finally have a home of our own."

Ivan grunted in response, his attention still elsewhere.

He was currently scrolling through a video of a beautiful woman on his phone. The woman’s face wasn’t shown, but she revealed a pair of long, slender, and straight legs.

Ivan licked his lips, practically salivating over the pair of legs. Recalling Melody Summers’ tall and slender figure, he couldn’t help but wonder if her legs were just as long...

Ivan secretly decided that once Melody Summers was his—once she became his mistress—he would make her wear stockings for him every single day!

On the floor, Maisie was still immersed in her blissful fantasy. She continued, "Ivan, do you remember? During our first summer vacation together, you called and said you missed me, that you really wanted to see me..."

"But all the tickets were sold out, so you drove over a hundred kilometers on the highway in the pouring rain, just to come to my house and find me..."

It was late at night when Ivan arrived at Maisie’s home. She lived in the countryside, and at night, the sky was full of brilliant stars.

It was under this blanket of stars that Ivan had appeared.

He held a bouquet of vibrant red roses, gazing at Maisie with eyes full of affection, as if she were his entire world.

At the time, Maisie had asked with a pang of concern if he was tired after driving so far on the highway.

But Ivan had just smiled faintly, taking her hand and pressing it against his chest.

He told her softly that as long as he could see her, he wouldn’t feel tired, even if it meant crossing thousands of mountains and rivers.

In that moment, Maisie saw a galaxy of brilliant stars in Ivan’s eyes, and she also saw her own reflection.

Maisie’s heart pounded. It felt as if the entire world had stopped spinning. Heaven and earth fell silent, leaving only her and Ivan.

This man had crossed mountains and valleys just for her.

It was at that moment that Maisie knew she had found the most precious love in the world.

That was why, for the chance to spend her life with Ivan, she had willingly dropped out of a top university to try and bear him a child.

Clutching the rag in her hand, Maisie recalled that scene, her face beaming with a blissful smile.

On the sofa, Ivan heard Maisie’s words and searched his memory. It seemed something like that had happened...

He’d been feeling some physical urges that day. His original plan was to go to a nightclub and find a prostitute to take care of it, but a message had just popped up in his friend group chat. A classmate had contracted HIV from a prostitute.

Ivan had been terrified and didn’t dare go to a club anymore.

But his needs still had to be met.

So, Ivan did a little math in his head—driving from his place to Maisie’s, including highway tolls and gas, would only cost a few hundred yuan, which was cheaper than hiring a prostitute at a nightclub.

Maisie was an obedient and clean university student. Being with her was also safer than finding a prostitute.

Cheap and clean, so what was not to like?

And so, Ivan had casually bought a bouquet of roses that were on sale, driven to Maisie’s house, and promptly took her to get a room.

Ivan recalled the incident but didn’t give it much thought. His gaze returned to the slender legs in the video. As he watched, he thought, ’I have to get my hands on Melody Summers!’