<h4>Chapter 239: Willing to Help</h4>


    "Mia, aren’t you tired from following me around all day?" E asked, feeling a bit guilty.


    Mia smiled softly. "Not at all! I used to have intense training every day. Being your bodyguard is actually much more rxing."


    E was at a loss for words. She and Mia seemed toe frompletely different worlds.


    Mia was quiet and refined. Though she was a bit taller than E, her frame looked even smaller.


    As E walked out of the restroom, her face flushed from the alcohol. Suddenly, a little boy came stumbling toward her and identally bumped into her leg.


    The child immediately plopped onto the floor and burst into tears.


    "Oh no, I’m so sorry! It’s my fault, I must’ve bumped into you!" E quickly knelt down to help the boy up, feeling guilty as she saw his small face crumple with tears.


    The boy looked about three years old, but in a ce meant for adults, it was odd to see a child. How could he have ended up here?


    "Sob... I want my mommy! I want my mommy!"


    His delicate face was streaked with tears, and when he saw E, a stranger, he grew more frightened and pushed her away.


    E felt helpless. "What’s your mommy’s name? Wait here, Owen, can you check if anyone’s lost a child?"


    Owen Bell, one of her bodyguards, hesitated. His duty was to protect E, but seeing her pleading look, he reluctantly agreed and started looking around nearby.


    After just a few steps, a panicked woman emerged from a private room down the hall. "Son, how did you end up here?"


    The woman, about twenty-four or twenty-five, was dressed in a ck professional outfit. Her eyes were red as she rushed over to the crying boy.


    It turned out that the woman had brought her son along while running errands, but things hadn’t gone well, and her son had been frightened by some men, causing him to run off. Unable to extract herself from her situation, the woman had eventually forced herself to leave the client to find her child.


    "Mommy, I was so scared!" The boy cried again, and even the servers nearby showed sympathy. The woman quickly scooped her son into her arms, tears streaming down her face.


    E felt a pang of sadness. It was tough for ordinary people to make a living. She gently patted the woman on the shoulder. "If you’re looking for a job where you can take care of your child and the pay isn’t too bad,e with me."


    The woman wiped away her tears, cradled her child, and for some reason, felt an innate trust in E. She followed her into the private room without hesitation.


    Meanwhile, in the shadows of a nearby corner, a pair of eyes silently observed E as she walked away.


    The softness of her face, flushed with warmth, her gentle smile, the slightly awkward yet caring expression in her eyes...


    Henry stood there, transfixed, watching her for what felt like an eternity. It wasn’t until his ssmate called out his name that he snapped out of his daze.


    "Henry, what’s going on? Weren’t you heading to the restroom? Why are you standing here?"


    "Nothing, I just ran into someone I know," Henry replied with a faint smile, though his heart was filled with mncholy. He didn’t know why, buttely, he had been dreaming more and more often, and the only thing in his dreams was the image of E walking away.


    But in every dream, she would be so distant, never once looking back at him with warmth—just like in real life.


    Even when they crossed paths at school, she wouldn’t even bother to greet him. She never cared about what others thought or said.


    Henry thought to himself, *If only I were that little boy just now.* At least then... he could be close to her. He still vividly remembered the moment when he had carried her to the nurse’s office.


    The faint scent of E still lingered in his mind, like a memory that refused to fade.


    "Henry, you’re daydreaming again! Hurry back, or you’ll have to down three shots as punishment!" A male ssmate patted Henry on the shoulder, identally hitting the spot where E had bitten him.


    Though the wound ached slightly, Henry felt an inexplicable sweetness wash over him, prompting a bright smile. "Alright, I’ll make sure to take you down with me!"


    The ssmate chuckled. "Good to see you this happy... it’s rare to have you join us for a gathering. Our cold and distant school idol finally warms up!"


    Henry walked back to the private room with his ssmate, but his thoughts lingered in that distant hallway. That scene kept reying in his mind.


    Meanwhile, E was the center of attention in the room, for an entirely different reason. It was her first time offering help to someone in need, and everyone was a bit taken aback. She felt slightly awkward under their stares. All she had done was try to help the young woman find a better, easier job with a higher sry—what was so strange about that?


    Eric had already arranged a job for the woman, which made E feel even more grateful and fond of her husband. He always seemed toe through for her.


    "E, you’re such a kind soul. Aren’t you worried that woman might be a two-faced white lotus?" Amelia teased, raising an eyebrow.


    E shook her head. "A woman bringing her child to run errands like that must have been desperate. Besides, I asked Eric to find her a job, and it’s not anywhere near our home or Eric’s office. She’s just doing what she has to. I believe in what I saw and what I felt."


    Perhaps after her rebirth, E had developed a more cynical, sharp-edged side, and her friends had gotten used to seeing her as cunning. They never expected this softer, more caring side of her!


    Eric pulled E closer. "Alright, everyone, let’s focus on drinking. There are still good, simple people in this world. Brian, about that thing I mentioned, I trust you can handle it?"


    Brian nodded. "That’s an easy one. Trust me, I can get my hands on the design ns."


    E, overhearing bits of the conversation, feltpletely lost. But given how busy Eric had beentely, likely dealing with the assassin and other matters, she didn’t press for details.


    "It won’t be long now..." Eric said with a faint smile, a trace of mockery in his eyes.


    E’s heart skipped a beat. What did he mean by that? Could it be that the true mastermind behind everything would soon be revealed?


    ...


    Meanwhile, in a small house on the outskirts of the city...


    A man was expertly butchering a chicken, blood staining the ground. A woman brought over a bucket of water. The man tossed the chicken into the bucket and washed his hands before lighting a cigarette.


    It was eerily quiet. This area was set to be demolished in six months, and the man and woman were thest remaining residents.


    "Honey, are you sure... that person didn’t crack and reveal our information?" the woman asked, her face full of concern.


    The man shot her a cold nce, his eyes filled with an icy, dangerous energy. "You don’t trust your own husband?"


    "It’s not that... it’s just that your uncle tried to assassinate him before and failed. And now... that brat, even though he’s young, is really clever. He survived again!" The woman shook her head in regret.