It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the afternoon Hawaiian beach was like a stunning scroll painting, the people within it appearing dreamlike and illusory.

The girl's soft moan was like the first tentative cry of a songbird, delicate and melodious.

Wang Zhuo carefully controlled his pace and rhythm, ensuring that everything he gave Irene was pleasure and bliss, while minimizing constraint and pain.

Since he possessed abundant experience in this regard, his execution was flawless.

Years later, when Irene became a bestselling author and boldly published this life experience in her memoir, it stirred countless memories and a yearning for her legendary life among many readers.

With effortless prose and generous length, she detailed that afternoon on the beach, a segment literary critics hailed as the most perfect depiction of lovemaking in the contemporary era.

And wasn't Irene’s current feeling commensurate with that perfect description?

Humorously, a mysterious "spectator" witnessed the entire event firsthand, and this was faithfully reproduced in Irene’s memoir, even annotated with commentary by this observer, making male readers long for Wang Zhuo’s harmonious domestic life—compared to him, the deceitful games of those doomsday cults seemed utterly weak!

Irene was undoubtedly fortunate. Perhaps many felt she was getting less than she deserved, agonizing over her "infatuation" with Wang Zhuo, yet as the person involved, she was savoring a richly varied and joyful life, boldly walking her own path while letting others talk.

……

Wang Zhuo has arrived on the island!

And he's run off with Irene?!

Mrs. Thorp, discovering the note Irene left behind, trembled so violently her hands shook, and she shouted toward the villa.

In moments, those who heard the commotion rushed over: Irene’s father, grandfather, grandmother, her eleven-year-old sister, and that naughty, adorable little Chihuahua.

Shocked and enraged, Irene's father insisted on calling the police. Her grandmother worried that the person who took her granddaughter wasn't Wang Zhuo but some kidnapper. Old Mike felt a need for careful deliberation, while Irene's little sister was overjoyed, thinking her sister’s elopement was the height of romance!

The family meeting on the sand failed to yield any concrete decisions, but a sudden call from Irene’s agent shifted their perception of Wang Zhuo.

Irene’s biggest immediate problem was the massive loss Warner Bros. sustained due to the recent incident. Magic Academy was the studio's flagship production in recent years, and with the final installment about to premiere, this affair caused immeasurable damage to the company's performance and reputation.

But the news the agent brought was earth-shattering: Wang Zhuo had commissioned an investment firm to negotiate the purchase of Warner Bros. stock. This business maneuver had reached a preliminary agreement, with a press conference imminent!

Warner Bros. was undoubtedly Irene’s boss. Although film stars were generally free agents, they were bound by contracts, and Irene still owed the company several films. If Wang Zhuo's acquisition succeeded, he would quickly become one of Warner’s major shareholders, potentially gaining controlling interest, thus transforming into Irene’s boss overnight.

Currently, Warner Bros.'s equity was quite dispersed, held among several private capital firms, hedge funds, business conglomerates, and some individuals.

Following the photo leak incident, Warner’s stock plummeted. This established studio had been struggling in recent years; Magic Academy was the pillar keeping it from collapse. If the final film’s box office faltered, and several other summer releases underperformed, the studio would once again face the prospect of taking on debt.

The case of MGM’s bankruptcy due to insolvency back in 2010 served as a precedent; similar situations were common in Hollywood, and Warner was facing the same predicament. However, Wang Zhuo’s purchase negotiation, even if it ultimately failed, would currently provide a lifeline to the company mired in trouble.

Yet, the Thorp family unanimously believed Wang Zhuo’s actions were not a smokescreen but genuine.

There were three reasons for this. The first was obvious: Wang Zhuo had just spirited Irene away. The second stemmed from constant media reports: Wang Zhuo’s father was a premier screenwriter in China, holder of multiple international awards, and keen on entering the global market, for which Warner was a perfect platform. The third was common knowledge: Wang Zhuo was rich—super rich—and investing in a film studio for amusement was entirely within his means!

In China, greater emphasis was placed on corporate strength and fixed assets, whereas in developed nations, personal charisma, potential, and projected future achievements were highly valued.

Shi Yuzhu's resurgence was a prime example, proving that fallen giants could often rise again. Wang Zhuo, having reached this level at such a young age, indicated he was a prodigious talent far surpassing the likes of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg in their youth—precisely the kind of figure Americans most admired and respected.

FEb hadn't earned a cent, yet Americans valued it in the billions, whereas Wang Zhuo’s Life Ark had already gained widespread recognition among the American public and was highly anticipated. Analysts had awarded the product's prospects a super-high rating—limitless financial potential!

If Wang Zhuo launched this product, it would unquestionably be the most advantageous stock globally. While he hadn't done so, the stock prices of his American counterparts had fallen repeatedly, with several medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies specializing in weight loss already reduced to junk stocks.

A website that had yet to earn a dime was valued in the billions; how much, then, was Wang Zhuo’s Life Ark worth? And what was his personal valuation? The Thorps, being educated members of the middle class, had ample reason to believe that Wang Zhuo acquiring Warner Bros. stock was "as easy as playing a game."

Although still worried about Irene, the gloom hanging over the Thorp family gradually dissipated. As for what the future held for Irene and Wang Zhuo, they weren't overly concerned, given Irene’s youth and the long life ahead of her; she possessed her own happiness.

In developed nations like the UK and the US, multiple divorces were commonplace; single-parent households and unwed mothers were frequent sights. Young people today often cohabitate if they connect, and separate amicably when affection wanes, unsure if the other is merely a fleeting passenger in their life. Thus, living in the moment was the best approach.

……

As they returned to Bliss Island, the sun was already beginning to dip toward the horizon.

Wang Zhuo had Irene call home. Although the Thorp family insisted their darling daughter return, Irene steadfastly refused, forcing them to concede.

Old Mike requested a word with Wang Zhuo, earnestly begging him to treat his granddaughter well. Wang Zhuo replied with a smile, "Just taking her out for a stroll, to clear her head." Old Mike could only repeat his admonitions several times before sighing and hanging up.

And so, Wang Zhuo’s venture to "abduct" Irene was a complete success. Capitalist Britain still retained vestiges of its royalty and aristocracy; class consciousness hadn't entirely vanished. Consequently, the Thorp family held an ineffable reverence for "Master Wang." Cultural differences were fascinatingly potent; had this happened in China, Irene's father might have packed up the whole family and gone straight to the capital to petition the emperor.

"I thought they might use American law to sue me for illegally abducting a minor," Wang Zhuo chuckled, gesturing beneath his feet. "This place is technically US territory, though the native Hawaiians never recognized that sovereignty."

He was currently enjoying a special Hawaiian dinner prepared by Maimon, alongside Irene and Siyuan; Maimon himself had gone to a main island to watch an Easter performance, wisely avoiding being the third wheel.

Irene wrinkled her cute nose at him. "Don't joke about my family; they've already sacrificed a lot for me."

Wang Zhuo nodded with a smile. "They will receive much more in return."

Irene murmured thoughtfully, "As long as I am healthy and happy, that is the greatest reward for them."

Wang Zhuo chuckled silently; that was certainly true, but it sounded far more touching when spoken by parents. If a child said it, it carried a hint of filial disrespect.

Forking a piece of clam meat onto her plate, Wang Zhuo asked, "I plan to hold a press conference in a couple of days to discuss our situation. What do you think?"

"I'll follow your lead," Irene replied with her signature pout. "What must come will come, right? I think I’m ready now."

Wang Zhuo gave her a thumbs-up and dropped the subject.

That evening, Wang Zhuo was online in his room handling accumulated business. Siyuan invited Irene to the beach to look at the stars.

Coincidentally, Wang Zhuo's "thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket" used her somewhat clumsy English to persuade Irene not to let Wang Zhuo appear at the press conference, outlining the potential ramifications.

Irene was convinced. She could tell Siyuan was not Wang Zhuo's envoy; her words were objective, fair, and logical. Therefore, Irene felt she should make some sacrifice for the greater good.

Seeing this scene from afar using his X-ray vision inside the mountainside villa, Wang Zhuo gave a wry smile. Although he felt reluctant to let Irene face it alone, given the frenzy of the media, this was the best solution. Irene ultimately needed to muster the courage to confront it.

Siyuan had gone crab hunting with a local guide, and Irene walked back to the villa alone. Her steps were small, her pace slow, and a brief, dull ache occasionally flared between her legs.

She carried two coconuts with straws into Wang Zhuo's room, handed him one, and sat obediently on a chair beside him.

"What are you looking at?" she asked curiously, pointing at the Japanese text on the computer screen.

"I'm helping our dear Maimon find a solution to his worries," Wang Zhuo replied. "This is a professional academic paper discussing the feasibility of improving penile length by restructuring the corpus cavernosum."

Irene blinked her bright blue eyes, completely failing to understand.

"Here, let me teach you," Wang Zhuo chuckled, turning his swivel chair toward Irene and gesturing with his eyes for her compliance! RO