I Married the President

’Are you kidding me? What if he can’t control himself and his wound splits open? The heartache would kill me.’

The man said nothing, simply pulling her head down...

...

’Damn you, Adrian Quincy! What happened to "just a kiss"?!’

Claire Sinclair got out of bed, her hand on her aching back. She checked the time—7:30 PM. A glance back revealed The Great Demon King Quincy, passed out from exhaustion, a deeply satisfied smile still gracing his lips.

’This guy... Is he even human?’

’Whatever. Even if I just go to make an appearance, it’s fine. I want to see what tricks that woman is trying to pull.’

–

At 8:00 PM, outside the SS Grand Hotel, dozens of reporters were already in position. They were staking out the entrance, snapping pictures of every arriving celebrity and posting them to Weibo, all vying for the top headline.

On Weibo, the industry’s top entertainment reporter, who boasted tens of millions of followers, was posting real-time updates on the arriving guests.

Such as:

"The 3.5 billion box-office queen, Gigi Golding, has arrived! She’s holding a gift box from the HG brand, which looks to be worth at least a million!"

"The President of luxury brand RT’s Country H division is here too! He’s driving the latest RT supercar, valued at 25 million."

"The founder of the GG brand has arrived as well, sporting a black-and-white color-block outfit worth a minimum of 2 million."

"Topic Queen Sunny just stepped onto the red carpet in a red dress. Absolutely stunning..."

Below the post, fans from every corner were fawning over them.

[OMG, our girl Cecily Taylor has so much clout! Half the entertainment industry showed up for her birthday!]

[Cecily Taylor has always been so well-liked. This is why I’ve been a fan for all these years.]

[The number one queen of the entertainment industry, period. No arguments!]

[Happy birthday, Cecily Taylor!]

[Last year, the gifts Cecily received were worth over a hundred million in total. Will she break the record this year?]

[Of course she’ll break the record! Our Cecily is so popular, people wouldn’t even dare show up with a gift worth less than a million...]

...

Claire Sinclair scrolled through the buzzing trending topics on Weibo. Every single one was flooded with posts about Cecily Taylor’s birthday.

’It’s just a birthday, but they’re hyping it up like a national holiday.’

Claire Sinclair was utterly disgusted. She could already picture the gossip blogger’s post the moment she appeared at the entrance: "Astoria Daily’s top reporter, Claire Sinclair, has arrived!"

’What’s the point of all this?’

’Everyone has the right to chase fame, fortune, and vanity. That’s perfectly normal. But promoting such blatant materialism, and having it celebrated by so many people—that’s just a toxic influence.’

Claire Sinclair’s brow furrowed. ’Maybe I should do something about this.’

Upon arriving at the SS Hotel, Claire Sinclair appeared at the entrance empty-handed.

The reporters’ cameras swiveled toward her, and everyone stared in astonishment.

Rumors had been flying online that she was on bad terms with Cecily Taylor. And now here she was, top reporter Claire Sinclair, arriving completely empty-handed.

This...

Every other person attending the party had brought a gift, yet she came empty-handed. Was that really a good idea?

Claire Sinclair walked into the hotel, ignoring the stares. Immediately, someone announced, "Claire Sinclair, reporter for the Astoria Daily, has arrived."

’Damn,’ Claire thought. ’They’re announcing guests like nobles being presented at court.’

A growing sense of revulsion washed over Claire. She knew what she had to do.

She took out her phone, logged into Weibo, and looked for the post from that blogger—

"Senior reporter for the Astoria Daily, etiquette mentor for *Shining Star*, Country H’s top socialite, and Young Master Quincy’s girlfriend, Claire Sinclair, has arrived—empty-handed!"

Beneath the post, Cecily Taylor’s fans went wild.

[What’s that supposed to mean? Showing up to a birthday party without a gift?]

[That’s going too far. You think it doesn’t cost money to throw a party like this?]

[So shameless. Everyone else brought gifts worth at least a million, so what’s Claire Sinclair’s deal, bringing nothing? She’s obviously disrespecting our Cecily Taylor!]