Claire was startled. She shoved Ethan away and rolled off the sofa, landing on the floor.

lgnoring the pain, she grabbed her phone and bolted out of the small apartment before he could react.

The door slamming shut behind her

Ethan stood there, momentarily stunned.

Did he scare her away?

Claire was rather shy. He should have taken things slowly.

Before he could reflect any further, he grabbed his phone and huried after her.

But by the time he reached downstairs, Claire was already gone.

He called her several times.

She didn't answer.

Left with no choice, he returned upstairs.

---

Claire sat in the taxi, patting her burning cheeks. Her heart was still racing.

That had been too sudden.

It had nearly scared her to death!

Although the novel she had been reading — about the male lead chasing after his wife — hadn't described much about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Claire now possessed the original owner's memories.

The original owner and the male lead had been university classmates, though they were in different majors.

Ethan had been handsome and academically outstanding-a

favorite among professors and a well-known figure on campus.

Many girls liked him. However, he was aloof and distant, and his family background was poor. It was said that his mother was frail and chronically ill, and he himself came from another city.

Even if girls admired him, none of them dared to confess.

At first, the original owner had thought the same way.

What was the point of being handsome? Without money, you couldn't afford a house, and married life would be miserable.

Modern women were very clear-headed. They were no longer blinded by love.

But one month before graduation, the original owner had been joking around in the dormitory with her roommates when someone suddenly encouraged her to pursue Ethan-the famously aloof campus heartthrob.

The original owner had scoffed.

“Don't worry, I can win him over in less than a month."

And she actually succeeded!

Ethan agreed to be her boyfriend.They officially became a couple. But Ethan had been extremely busy after graduation, focusing on starting a business with his friends. They rarely saw each other.

Even now, they hadn't even kissed. Moreover, the original owner had a mother who was obsessed with marrying her daughter into a wealthy family.

She constantly warned her not to date in college—especially not to sleep with any men.

According to her mother, preserving her virginity was essential for securing a good marriage.

Influenced by her upbringing, the original owner also dreamed of marrying into a rich family.

Her relationship with Ethan had only been a game. The original owner had planned to break up with him today-and humiliate him thoroughly in the process.

She had looked down on Ethan from the bottom of her heart.

There was no way she would ever marry him

But unexpectedly, at the critical moment…Claire had transmigrated.

She definitely couldn't follow the original owner's path and end up with such a tragic fate.

Even as a supporting female character, she had to actively change her destiny.

Besides, since she had already transmigrated into a novel, she naturally wanted to live life to the fullest.

Although she was technically the male lead's ex-girlfriend, as long as she handled her relationship with Ethan properly and prevented him from becoming twisted and dark, when they eventually broke up, Ethan would surely be grateful that she had endured hardships alongside him and give her a large sum of money.

And even if he wasn't grateful, he would still want to be with the female lead.

At that time, he would definitely use money to get rid of her,

--

Claire found the original owner's residence based on her memories.It was an ordinary residential neighborhood.

After graduation, she had rented an apartment together with two college roommates.

She entered the password and opened the door.

A girl wearing purple pajamas came out of the kitchen with a glass of water.

“Claire, You're back", she called out.

“Yeah!", Claire replied.

Claire opened the door to the second bedroom and walked inside.

The apartment was a small two-bedroom unit. Claire lived in the second bedroom, paying 2,300 Dollars in rent every month.

Emily Clark slept in the living room, separated by a curtain. Her rent was cheaper-1,500 Dollars per month.

Emily's family wasn't well-off. She had younger siblings still in school and sent most of her savings back home.

Sasha Cole lived in the master bedroom and paid 3,000 Dollars in rent. Her family ran a business and was relatively wealthy.

Suddenly, Claire felt like she had forgotten something. After thinking for a moment, she remembered.

Her bag was still in Ethan's house!

When she had run away earlier, she had only grabbed her phone. Emily and Sasha leaned against the doorway on either side.

Sasha asked, “Did you break up with your crush?"

Emily added, “How did your crush react when you dumped him?"

Claire pulled over a chair and sat down, looking at the two of them.

“No. We didn't break up!"

"Huh”

Both girls stared at her in surprise.

Emily suddenly noticed the diamond ring on her finger.

“Why are you wearing a diamond ring? Is it real?"

Claire didn't hide the truth.

“it's real. Ethan gave it to me. He proposed, and I said yes. "

“What?!”

Sasha cried out in shock.

Emily stood there with her mouth hanging open.

After a long pause, she finally asked, “Weren't you going to break up with him?"

Sasha added, “Yeah! Didn't you say your crush was poor and that you were just playing around? Why would you agree to his proposal?"

Claire didn't know how to explain it.

“I think Ethan is pretty good she said. “l don't want to break up.”

Sasha frowned. “Are you joking?”

Claire shook her head seriously. “No.I really don't want to break up!"

The two girls looked at her with suspicion.

Claire grabbed her pajamas and went to take a shower. Sasha returned to her room.

Emily stared toward the bathroom, her brows deeply furrowed.

--

After showering, Claire returned to her room. Her gaze fell on the messy pile of clothes scattered across the bed.

The original owner had been the type of girl who looked glamorous on the outside but was lazy and messy in private.

Claire even suspected that Ethan might also be a

superficial person, someone who had agreed to date the original owner simply because of her appearance.

While showering earlier, she had looked carefully at herself in the mirror. The original owner's face was undeniably beautiful.

An oval face, fair skin, round almond-shaped eyes that were dark and bright, a straight nose, and full pink lips.

No wonder she had captivated Ethan.

Of course, there was another possibility.

Perhaps Ethan had simply been manipulated by the plot. Just so he could later torment the female lead.

---

Looking at the messy room, Claire began cleaning. Most of the clothes looked dirty, so she gathered them all and caried them to the washing machine.

After starting the laundry, she returned to tidy the small room, wiping down the cabinets and bedside table.

Hearing the noise, Emily came over. When she saw the now neat and orderly room, she paused.

Her gaze slowly shifted to Claire, who was busily moving around. Claire was beautiful, the most beautiful girl in their department.

She usually dressed fashionably and attractively.

But only her roommates knew how lazy and unhygienic she really was.

She rarely washed her clothes. Worn clothes were piled on the bed, and whenever she needed something to wear, she would simply rummage through the pile.

It looked like she wore diferent outfits every day, but in reality, they were all already worn.

She even waited until she had no underwear or socks left before washing them.

Her desk was always cluttered with random items.

This Claire seemed different.

So diligent…

“Claire... are you okay?", Emily asked cautiously,

Claire was busy cleaning and didn't notice Emily's surprise.

“I'm fine. I'll finish tidying up soon. It won't disturb anyone's sleep."

Emily returned to her bed, still stunned.

—

After finishing the cleaning, Claire changed the bedsheets to fresh ones. The old bedding would have to wait until tomorrow to be washed.

It was already too late and might disturb everyone. She hung the freshly washed clothes on the balcony to dry. Then she returned to her room and lay down.

Exhausted and in unfamiliar surroundings, she quickly fell asleep.

---

The next morning…

She was groggily awakened by the sound of her phone ringing.

Half-asleep, she reached for it and answered.

“Hello?"

A deep, magnetic male voice came through the phone.

“I'm downstairs.Come down when you're ready, okay?"

Claire's eyes snapped open.

She instantly remembered-

She had transmigrated into anovel.

And she had become the male lead's ex-girlfriend in a story about chasing after his wife.

Clearing her throat, she asked cautiously, “Is...something wrong?"

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then he said calmly: “Let's go get our marriage certificate!”

Claire almost bit her tongue. “Get the marriage certificate?What marriage certificate?!"

On the other end of the phone, Ethan replied calmly, “You

accepted my proposal."

“I did accept, " Claire said, “bu…but you never said we'd get the certificate today.”

There was a brief pause.

“Since we're already planning to get married, it doesn't matter whether we get it sooner or later."

Claire wanted to say something else but Ethan spoke again.

“Are you backing out?”

“I'm not!”

Claire truly wasn't backing out. Things were just moving too fast, and she wasn't used to it yet. She scratched her head.

Oh well.

She had already agreed, so they would have to get married sooner or later anyway.

Let Ethan decide when to register the marriage.

Once they became husband and wife, if Ethan wanted to be

with the female lead later, he would have to pay her more money.

After all, divorce was far more troublesome than breaking up.

"Wait for me ten minutes. I'll change my clothes!"

Then she hung up.

Claire got up, washed her face, and changed into a white knitted dress with a shirt collar. Over it, she put on a black down jacket.

She could take off the jacket when taking photos.

She braided her long black hair into a fishtail braid and applied light makeup.

Then she picked up her phone and asked her boss for half a day off.

The original owner of this body had majored in English and had fairly average grades.

After graduation, she worked as a salesperson at a foreign trade company that manufactured tools, dealing mainly with overseas clients.

Coincidentally, Claire had studied the same major in her previous life. She had obtained a Level-8 English certificate in college and had won numerous awards in English and translation competitions.

She had also minored in computer science. Before transmigrating, she had worked at a large internet company with a high salary but the workload had been brutal.

She had died from overwork.

Then she transmigrated into the novel she had just finished

reading.The one about chasing after a runaway wife.

After a long round of nagging, her manager finally agreed to grant her half a day off.

Claire found her ID card, grabbed her phone, and headed downstairs.

As soon as she stepped out of the apartment building, she saw Ethan standing beneath a tree.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall, straight figure.

He wore a white shirt with black trousers and a black down jacket oveı them.

Simple, clean, and pleasing to the eye.

As Claire approached, she caught the faint scent of laundry detergentand jasmine

Ethan looked at her deeply.

“Let's go."

He was still holding the cloth bag she had left at his place the night before.

Claire reached out

“Give it to me.”

“I’ll carry it for you” Ethan said. Claire raised an eyebrow.

Hehe.

So now she had someone to carry her bag when she went out. The two walked out of the residential complex.

Ethan hailed a taxi.

After they got in, he said to the driver,

“Civil Affairs Bureau!" The driver was a chatty middle-aged man.

“Going to get your marriage certificate?", he asked with a grin.

“Yes",Ethan replied casually.

“Congratulations! Today's a good day!"

Ethan turned to look at Claire.

Afraid he might misunderstand and think she was reluctant,

Claire quickly grinned.

“Do I look good today?"

Ethan pursed his lips and nodded.

"You look good.’

Claire smiled.

"You look handsome today too!"

She thought that since she would probably only get married once in her life, she might as well dress nicely.

After divorcing Ethan in the future, she had no plans to marry again.

Even before transmigrating, marriage had never been part of her life plan. But now that she was experiencing it once, it wasn't bad.

Ethan stared at her for a moment, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips. They soon arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

After getting out of the car, they went inside together. They had arrived early and barely needed to wait in line before receiving their marriage certificates.

Claire looked at the photo.

The couple in it looked very good together.

There was just one small flaw.

“Ethan, you're not smiling"

Ethan was about to say something. Claire waved her hand.

“Never mind, never mind. Considering how handsome you are, I won't hold it against you."

She slipped the marriage certificate into her bag. Just then, her stomach growled.

Claire glanced at Ethan awkwardly.

She had rushed out in the morning and hadn't eaten breakfast. Ethan took her hand.

“Let's go eat."

Claire stiffened, staring at their clasped hands.

“What's wrong?" Ethan asked, turning his head.

Claire shook her head.

In her heart, she silently chanted: My idol is holding my hand!

My idol is holding my hand!

There were no food stalls near the Civil Affairs Bureau, so they walked two blocks before finding a small breakfast shop in an alley.

Inside, Ethan ordered two bowls of noodles and two pastries. After sitting down, he took out a tissue and wiped the table in front of Claire.

The small table wasn't very clean; a layer of oil stained the tissue black. He used two more tissues to wipe it again before cleaning the space in front of himself.

The shop owner called out that the noodles were ready and that customers should pick them up themselves.

The tiny shop only had one owner, and he was too busy to serve everyone. Ethan stood up and walked to the window to get the noodles .

Claire followed him, intending to carry hers. Ethan turned around.“Sit down. I'll bring them!”

“They're too hot. You can't carry both by yourself", Claire said.

She had been independent since childhood and didn't like troubling others.

Her motto had always been: self-reliance is the key to success.

Ethan simply turned around, pushed her gently back to her

seat, and said firmly, "Sit properly.”

Claire: “.."

She watched as the tall figure walked to the counter, holding a bowl of noodles in each hand.

Wow.

This guy really doted on his girlfriend.

Ah-no.

She should say wife now.

They had already received their marriage certificate.

Of course, the male lead's kindness toward his ex-girlfriend was only temporary. It was controlled by the plot.

Once he met the female lead, he would fall deeply in love with her, and the two of them would eventually live happily ever after.

But now that the original owner had been replaced by Claire, the plot had alreadv changed.

No one knew how things would develop when the male lead met the female lead again.

Would he still have to go through the painful journey of chasing her back?

“What are you thinking about?"

Ethan's voice pulled Claire back to reality. He tore open a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to her.

“Eat?”

“Thank you."

Ethan went to get the pastries. Claire noticed that Ethan's bowl of noodles had cilantro, while hers didn't.

She liked cilantro too.

So she got up and went to get some.

When Ethan turned around, he saw her scooping cilantro onto a small dish and looked puzzled.

Claire returned to her seat, poured the cilantro into her bowl of noodles, and sniffed happily.

Noodles tasted much better with cilantro.

“Don't you dislike cilantro?" Ethan asked. Claire froze with noodles halfway into her mouth.

The original owner didn't eat cilantro?

Her mind raced.

Then she remembered—it was true.

The original owner hated cilantro.

Oh no.

How was she supposed to explain this sudden change?

After thinking for a moment and failing to come up with a good excuse. She simply said, “I've never really tried cilantro before. I didn't know it tasted good. I tried it recently and found it pretty nice.”

Whether Ethan believed it or not didn't really matter. After all, he would never imagine that the soul inside this body had been replaced.

Ethan suddenly remembered something his college roommate had once said: Women were fickle.

He decided not to dwell on it and continued eating his noodles.

Claire finished her noodles but didn't touch the pastries as she was already full.

Ethan ate both pastries himself. They walked out of the shop together.

Ethan said, “There's still some time. I'll help you cary your things.”

Claire dragged her feet as she followed Ethan out of the alley.

She couldn't come up with a reason to refuse moving in with him.

They were already married. If she acted shy and hesitant now, wouldn't it seem strange?

What if Ethan misunderstood again and thought she had ulterior motives?

She had already noticed that Ethan was quite sensitive. But that wasn't surprising.

The original owner really had been a scoundrel-two-faced and manipulative, playing people like fools.

Oh well. She had to move in sooner or later anyway.

Still..

The progress was way too fast!

She had only transmigrated yesterday, and today she was already married —and about to sleep in the same bed as a man.

If her mother in her previous world found out, she would probably go сгаzу.

Of course, the mother in this world would go crazy too.

So for now, the marriage absolutely had to remain a secret.

The two took a taxi back to the apartment they shared.

When they arrived, Ethan stopped at the door instead of entering.

“Call me when you're ready" he said.

Claire quite appreciated his sense of propriety.She used to have roommates who would bring their boyfriends back to the apartment without any warning and sometimes the guys would even stay overnight.

She had always hated that.

The clothes on the balcony weren't fully dry yet.

Claire took them down and placed them in a separate bag.

The unwashed bedding was packed separately as well.

The original owner had a lot of belongings.

In the end, she packed two large suitcases and another oversized bag.

She dragged the suitcases to the door for Ethan.

Then she turned to carry the large bag. But just as she reached the door, Ethan took it from her hands.

Claire froze for a moment.

She had been used to doing everything herself. Suddenly having someone treat her so thoughtfully felt... strange.

She glanced once more at the shared apartment behind her, then closed the door and stepped into the elevator.

After she entered, Ethan pressed the button for the first floor.

When they reached the ground level, Claire reached for the large bag again.

Ethan stopped her.

“I’ll take it"

He tied the bag securely to the suitcase handle, then walked ahead, dragging a suitcase in each hand.

Claire watched him for a moment, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

Even if it was temporary, enjoying Ethan's attentive care wasn't bad at all.

Her suitcases were huge, and when they loaded them into the taxi, the trunk wouldn't close properly.

As the car drove, the trunk kept making loud thumping noises.

The sound gave Claire a headache, and she frowned.

“Are you okay?" Ethan asked.

He placed a hand gently on her head. Claire tilted her head to look at him.

His dark eyes were gentle, and for some reason, her irritation gradually subsided.

“I'm fine"

She glanced at the time She still needed to go to the company.

“When we get to the apartment building, can you help me carry my things upstairs? I'll go straight to work."

Ethan nodded.“Okay"

He lowered his head and began tapping on his phone. A moment later, Claire's phone chimed.

She opened it and saw that Ethan had sent her a message that contained a string of numbers. She tilted her head to look at him.

He was already watching her.

“Apartment password?"

He nodded and then sent another message with the building number and unit number.

He probably thought she might not be able to find it otherwise.

After all, this apartment had just been rented by Ethan, and yesterday had been her first time visiting.

“How much is the rent here each month?” Claire asked.

"Seven thousand."

Claire was startled.

“Where did you get the money?"

Seven thousand per month, plus the deposit and three months' rent upfront-that was already $28,000.

Add the diamond ring, and it was close to $40,000.

For Ethan in the future, that would be pocket change. But for him right now, it was a huge sum.

Ethan looked a little embarrassed. After a long pause, he said quietly, “Borrowed it from Kyle…"

Claire knew Kyle Robb.

He was Ethan's college roommate. He was a City A local from a fairly wealthy family and also one of his business partners.

She still didn't understand why Ethan was in such a rush to get married.

He had just graduated.

No money.

No house

Yet he had borrowed money just to get married.

If it were anyone else, she would have suspected they were trying to scam her.

Ethan suddenly took her hand. His gaze was firm.

“Claire, our current difficulties are only temporary. I promise I'll give you a good life'"

Claire already knew that.

After all, he was destined to become the heir of a top-tier wealthy family

“Mmm…I believe you."

Ethan felt both guilty and moved. He leaned slightly closer, wanting to pull her into an embrace.

Claire hurriedly interrupted, “We're here!”

Ethan paused and turned to look outside. Sure enough, they had arrived downstairs at the apartment building.

He could only give up.

The car stopped

Ethan got out, walked to the trunk, and carried the suitcases

and bags out.

Standing by the roadside, he looked at Claire. Claire smiled and waved.

“Driver, Dao Food Company!"

The taxi drove away.

Claire let out a long sigh of relief.

What should she do?

She still couldn't get used to being intimate with Ethan.

Just thinking about sharing a bed with him tonight made her unbearably nervous.

The original owner's company was located in an industrial park quite far away.

Normally, she would take the subway and then ride a shared bike for about a kilometer.

Claire glanced up at the taxi meter and gasped in shock.

$200!

And the ride wasn't even over yet.

Oh my god!

She hadn't been paying attention earlier. She should have asked the driver to drop her off at a subway station.

This whole day's wages were practically gone!

The original owner had only recently graduated, earning a monthly salary of $5,000.

After deducting social insurance and housing funds, there was barely enough left for food and rent.

Claire wanted to cry.

Her heart ached.

Her phone rang.

She looked down and saw that Ethan had transferred $1,000 to her.

She was about to accept it but then she remembered that Ethan was heavily in debt and might have sent her all the money he had.

In the end, she didn't accept it.

---

After getting out of the taxi, she tried negotiating the fare with the driver, "Sir, could you give me a discount? l just graduated and I'm very poor."

The driver glanced at her and waved impatiently. “Fine, I'll round it down. It's $252-just give me $250.”

Claire:"..."

It would've been better if he hadn't rounded it at all.

“Sir…”

The driver immediately grew impatient.

“No less than that. Hurry up and pay. I've got passengers to pick up!"

Biting her lip, Claire paid with tears in her eyes. Two Dollars saved was still two dollars saved.

She swiped her card to enter the company building and took the elevator upstairs.

The company had several hundred employees. The sales department was located on the third floor.

Claire found her workstation. She had barely sat down when a woman wearing black-rimmed glasses walked over and tapped on her desk.

“Come to my office.”

From the original owner's memories, Claire recognized her

immediately.

Sales Manager Holly Wales.

Without waiting for a response, Holly turned and walked toward her office.

As Claire stood up, she noticed several colleagues looking at her with sympathy.

It seemed this sales manager was not easy to deal with.

Taking a deep breath, Claire walked over and knocked on the office door.

After receiving permission, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The moment the door closed behind her, Holly began scolding her.

“Claire, this company isn't run by you. You can't just take leave whenever you feel like it!”

“Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're pretty.”

"If you don't show professionalism and responsibility while working under me, you'd better leave right now!”

Claire hadn't expected that after transmigrating into a novel, she would still have to endure workplace humiliation.

But she was just a newcomer. No matter how harsh her boss's words were, she had to endure them. She couldn't just quit.

Ethan's wedding expenses had already left him buried in debt, and she herself didn't have much money either.

For now..

It was better to endure it.