This sudden leak of intimate photos not only upended Wang Zhuo's life but brought even greater pressure and distress upon Eillen.

While the moral and value systems in developed Western countries differed from those in China, such a blow wouldn't typically drive Eillen to suicide, but it was enough to cause her profound turmoil, possibly leading to a complete collapse.

Faced with immense pressure and a tidal wave of public condemnation, Eillen chose to flee.

British social attitudes were slightly more conservative than those in America, and since Eillen was under sixteen, this incident, despite involving only photos and no video, drew widespread censure—far exceeding the scrutiny Paris Hilton faced in '03.

Moreover, Eillen was a public figure with a vast global fanbase; at least a billion people recognized her as Eillen Top. This recognition far surpassed that of Paris Hilton as a hotel heiress, making the sheer scale of this scandal incomparable, perhaps even overshadowing Monica Lewinsky's encounter with President Clinton in the Oval Office.

Overnight, her image as a pure, innocent idol crumbled. All her endorsements were immediately canceled, her upcoming film was shelved and postponed, and letters demanding breach of contract penalties rained down on Eillen's agent like snowflakes.

Contract law in developed nations is far more robust than in China, often including highly detailed restrictive clauses. Although this incident was not Eillen's conscious intention—most of the blame resting on those two foolish French youths, Larry Renault and Senmaso—the photos were clearly taken with Eillen's consent. Therefore, opposing counsel could claim that "Eillen's actions introduced investment risk to commercial partners," thus justifying claims for damages against her.

As is well known, the promotional fees for many advertisements often far exceed the star's endorsement fee. After such an incident, the commercial companies’ reputations would also suffer negative impacts. Consequently, for an endorsement worth ten million US dollars, Eillen might actually end up owing more money after losing the lawsuit—a devastating blow on top of her existing troubles.

Even Eillen's co-star in the film had privately complained. Because he shared a kissing scene with Eillen in the last installment of Magic Academy, he too was now subjected to ridicule. The entire world had seen how languidly and passionately his lips had moved upon the body of a Chinese man.

If Wang Zhuo knew about this, he would undoubtedly find it both ridiculous and laughable, yet simultaneously feel an irrepressible surge of pride. Conquering Yang Ru merely meant handing Liu Jieming a cuckold's crown; enjoying Ning Yao only allowed for secret internal satisfaction, known by few. But after spending a night with Eillen, shattering the dreams of countless others—this act of desecrating another man's idol and inciting their envy, jealousy, and resentment—was, in its own way, a source of pride.

...

Wang Zhuo managed to contact Lieutenant Colonel Mo Ning quite smoothly.

Lieutenant Colonel Mo Ning found Wang Zhuo’s call both surprising and somewhat absurd. Since the incident where Eillen fell into the sea, he hadn't had a moment's peace, constantly entangled by two major issues. Even the arrangements for the auction of the Royal Princess had been affected, yet his post was irreplaceable because Lieutenant Colonel Churchill was essentially a bystander—only distributing credit, never taking responsibility.

"I will try to contact Mr. McTopt for you, though I can't guarantee success," Mo Ning said to Wang Zhuo with a wry smile. "If Mr. McTopt refuses to speak with you, I will pass on your message. Of course, regardless of the outcome, I will certainly forward your contact number to him."

"I appreciate your trouble," Wang Zhuo replied. "You know my situation recently, so it won't be convenient for me to personally handle the auction of the Royal Princess. However, I will entrust a Chinese friend to manage it on my behalf. Thank you again for your assistance."

After hanging up, Mo Ning shrugged helplessly. Regarding this 'King' from China, he wasn't sure whether his feelings were envy or something else. Eillen was about the same age as his own daughter. Though she was past the age of carefree innocence and perhaps ready for romance, this relationship was destined to be a fleeting affair with no future. Now, with the scandal blown up so large, it was undeniably a major, life-altering blow.

For a teenage girl, bearing this kind of pressure was simply too much, too soon...

Shaking his head, Mo Ning picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the mobile number for McTopt listed in his contacts.

What was Old Mike doing at that moment? He, along with Eillen's family, was hiding away in self-imposed seclusion on the Hawaiian Islands, located in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean!

Eillen had earned a great deal of money for the family over the years, but this crisis still threatened to cause financial ruin. Corresponding with sound legal systems was the long road of litigation. Thus, the Top family wasn't destitute yet; Eillen was simply too famous, and hiding anywhere on the mainland continent was impossible. Out of necessity, the whole family had temporarily retreated to a private island owned by a friend, pretending it was merely a vacation!

In recent days, Eillen had been melancholic and listless. The Top family, understanding her distress, refrained from criticizing or scolding her, choosing instead to accompany her on calming excursions—shrimping by the shore or simply chatting.

Eillen refused all modern electronics capable of spreading information. She didn't want to see news or films on television, didn't want to look at her phone, and wouldn't touch a computer. She only liked sitting on the beach watching the sea with her little Chihuahua, lost in thought as the dog licked her fingers.

Eillen's agent had relayed a piece of profound Chinese wisdom to the Top family: "As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood." If they could just help Eillen weather this current storm, she would have a chance to make a comeback one day; everything could start anew.

Old Mike took Mo Ning’s call secretly inside the house. When he heard that Wang Zhuo wanted to contact Eillen, he paused.

"Did he say what he wants to contact Eillen for?" McTopt asked in a low voice.

"He asked me to relay that he will do everything in his power to help Eillen overcome the current difficulties," Mo Ning reported meticulously. "He wishes for you to tell Eillen that he is willing to shoulder the burden of both financial and public opinion pressure."

"He’s willing to pay money?" Mike snorted dismissively. "Then how will he handle the pressure from public opinion?"

"I believe he meant that Eillen could publicly claim she was young and ignorant..." Mo Ning only said half of it, but he felt Old Mike would understand.

Old Mike pondered for a long moment before sighing. "I'll ask Eillen. It's better for her to make this decision."

Ten minutes later, Old Mike walked out onto the beach.

Hawaii, situated near the equator in the tropics, is one of the most developed tourist destinations globally. It is home to over 1.2 million permanent residents across more than 130 islands, many of which have been invested in or leased by the wealthy. The Top family was currently sequestered on one such island.

Seeing her grandfather approaching with slow, dragging steps, Eillen managed a slight upward curve of her lips—a strained semblance of a smile to greet him.

"There's no news about you in The Sun today. Want to take a look?" Old Mike sat down beside his granddaughter and asked with a smile.

Eillen shook her head slightly: "...Not interested."

Old Mike tried again: "He contacted me through Lieutenant Colonel Mo Ning and wants to have a phone call with you. Are you interested?"

"He," of course, referred to Wang Zhuo. Old Mike hadn't used the name directly, but everyone knew who "he" was.

Eillen was silent for a long time before finally looking up and asking, "Grandpa, do you hate him?"

Mike paused, frowned, pursed his lips, and pondered for a moment, then suddenly brightened. "I don't hate him. Even though he caused you so much trouble, he did save your life after all."

With that, Old Mike stood up, reached into the back pocket of his swim trunks, pulled out a mobile phone attached to a small slip of paper, and handed it to Eillen. "We're having your favorite coconut cream sauce for lunch. I'm going back to watch the game."

Grandpa left. Eillen held the phone and the note, hesitating for a long time. Finally, she lacked the courage to call but instead activated her MSN, registered a new ID, and added Wang Zhuo as a contact.

Since the leak of the intimate photos, Wang Zhuo had been subjected to intense doxxing by enthusiastic "Fans" (Chang Fen). His mobile number, landline, address, and QQ ID had all been completely replaced. The only thing that remained unchanged was the specific MSN number he had reserved exclusively for Eillen.

And only Eillen knew this number. No matter how pervasive the searchers were, they hadn't managed to uncover this specific number. Eillen was a bright and intelligent girl, and she realized this.

Soon, Wang Zhuo received a message in his mobile phone from the MSN module: i.

A moment later, Eillen also received a reply that felt eerily familiar: ei.girl.

Time seemed to rewind instantly to a distant past. That was when the two had only just met. Eillen found Wang Zhuo rather interesting, so out of a playful whim, she wrote a note leaving her MSN ID for him. When they added each other as friends, this was how they had greeted one another.

Eillen’s eyes immediately welled up. How wonderful it would be if life could always remain like that first encounter!

"If one could spend time with a beloved person as beautifully and calmly as when they first met, without later resentment or blame, then perhaps it is best if everything remains suspended in the beauty of the first meeting." This was a timeless line composed by the famous Qing Dynasty poet Nalan Xingde in one of his Mulan Ci poems, perfectly mirroring Eillen’s current state of mind.

"Siyuan, hurry over here!"

Far away in the Jiangzhou wetland villa, Wang Zhuo, who had been browsing news about his newfound fame online, suddenly shouted, startling Siyuan, who was secretly making a phone call in the next room. Siyuan jumped up from the bed, hastily hung up the phone, and ran out.

"Can you find the location attributed to this number for me?!" Wang Zhuo pointed at a pink avatar on his phone screen.

"MSN?" Siyuan paused, frowned, and said, "This is a bit tricky. All MSN messages are relayed through servers; it’s not like QQ where you can use simple reverse tracking."

"You need to hack the server?" Wang Zhuo pursed his lips and urged, "Then what are you waiting for? Get on with it!"