Year After Year Infatuated

Both the shares and the house transactions were successfully completed within less than a week of my arrival in Europe.

I couldn’t witness Julian Vance’s expression upon discovering that his shares and property had been liquidated, nor did I have any desire to know.

Upon arriving abroad, dealing with accommodation and school matters consumed all my time, leaving me with zero capacity to waste on a man who no longer had anything to do with me.

However, what I hadn’t anticipated was bumping into Christian Sterling—who logically should have still been in China—right here in Germany.

Clearly, during our last encounter, he had been a man of few words; yet this time around, he took the initiative to approach me.

“Julian Vance is scouring the earth looking for you, having learned you might be in Germany, he’s planning to sweep through here soon.”

Ever since my departure, I hadn’t expected Julian Vance to remain oblivious forever.

After all, my school applications and preliminary language classes weren’t heavily concealed; with dedicated tracking, discovery was inevitable.

I simply hadn’t anticipated that Julian Vance would actually fly out to look for me.

Since I left, shouldn’t he and Vivienne be happily official? Why bother chasing after me?

Could it be that he couldn’t swallow his anger over the shares and the house, and came looking for revenge?

“Miss Evelyn truly knows how to surprise people.”

Christian Sterling mused with a low, soft chuckle.

I looked at him blankly.

“The mysterious girlfriend of the Vance Group’s CEO liquidated their love nest and fled into the night. The almighty CEO woke up completely oblivious, only to be tossed out onto the street by the new landlord—word has it he wasn’t even properly dressed when thrown out.”

“I didn’t take President Christian for someone who enjoys scrolling through gossip.”

He curved his lips: “Then what does Miss Evelyn think I should enjoy watching?”

Acting like a spectator thrilled by chaos, he added: “I heard that when he was kicked out, the woman sharing his expulsion was someone else as well.”

“If President Christian has something to say, spit it out. You surely didn’t come here today just to gossip with me, right?” I interrupted impatiently.

“I can help you.”

I froze.

“I can make sure Julian Vance won’t find a trace of you even if he scours all of Germany.”

I furrowed my brows, stepping back to eye him with caution.

Noticing my guarded stance, he arched an eyebrow:

“Miss Evelyn shouldn’t overthink it; I have no interest in trapping you.”

“President Christian and I have only met once. Do you really expect me to believe you genuinely want to help me?”

“Who said I was doing it out of the goodness of my heart?”

His tone was entirely nonchalant: “I simply want to watch Julian Vance choke on a bitter pill.”

“You have a grudge against him?”

“Strictly speaking, no.” He paused briefly, “But as long as he’s unhappy, my mood improves.”

“…”

Christian Sterling was probably a covert lunatic.

Though I had no clue what scheme he was running, collaborating with him beat getting hunted down by Julian Vance to settle accounts.

I stopped probing and readily accepted his assistance.

Only later did I realize why Christian Sterling dared to guarantee my concealment.

Because to him, it was child’s play.

Germany felt practically like home turf to him.

His corporation had built its fortune in Germany before expanding back home.

A newcomer like Julian Vance trying to expand business operations into Germany stood zero chance against Christian Sterling.

Unsurprisingly, Julian Vance flew to Germany several times, returning empty-handed every single time.

“Julian Vance seems remarkably attached to you.” Christian Sterling remarked coolly.

I glanced not far away at Vivienne, who had tagged along on this trip as well, and seriously suspected Christian Sterling was being sarcastic.

“Does President Christian have someone special in his heart?”

He paused slightly.

“I do. So what?”

“How many does President Christian like?”

Christian Sterling’s expression darkened for once.

“Naturally, just one. Does Miss Evelyn take me for Julian Vance?”

I offered no comment.

Meanwhile, across the way, Julian Vance and Vivienne seemed to be arguing over something. Vivienne tumbled to the ground, yet Julian Vance didn’t even bother to lift a finger to help her up, turning his back and walking away entirely.

Sitting on the ground, Vivienne wailed in pain before breaking into full sobs, and ultimately, driven by bitter unwillingness, picked herself up and scurried after him.

“They’re fighting.” Christian Sterling observed with keen interest, “You reckon it’s because of you?”

“Following President Christian’s logic, if he commits murder tomorrow, will that be because of me too? Do I need to shoulder the legal responsibility as well?”

My tone carried a sharp edge, prompting Christian Sterling to look genuinely aggrieved:

“I was merely worried you still harbored feelings for him, so I tried bringing up topics you’d enjoy hearing.”

“So President Christian assumed I’d feel vindicated because he mistreated another woman over me? My emotions and self-worth have to hinge on that man’s actions?”

“…”

“Your remarks don’t just look down on me; they expose what a trashy person President Christian is.”

Silence hung heavy for a long moment before Christian Sterling burst into laughter.

“Is that sharp tongue of yours reserved exclusively for me?”

I choked.

Glaring at him, I ignored the baffling man entirely.

Throughout my first three months abroad, he showed up every two to three days.

When asked why, he gave no clear answer—until later, likely sensing my dwindling patience.

He proposed a business transaction: paying me fifty thousand RMB per month in exchange for preparing five meals a week for him.

“I can’t stomach Western cuisine, and since you used to take such exceptional care of Julian Vance, I imagine your Chinese cooking must be top-notch?”

Though well aware his words carried no hidden romantic undertones, the word “care” sounded gratingly obnoxious to my ears now.

“Cook for me, and I’ll help you shake off Julian Vance.”

He laid it out bluntly, resembling a purely transactional business contract.

After pondering it, I realized I had nothing to lose and readily agreed.