I Married the President

That afternoon, Claire Sinclair locked herself in her room. She spent the entire time on her computer, searching for half the day, but couldn’t figure out who had sent her that "lavish gift."

She also suspected it might have been Orion Osborne and sent him a message, but she never received a reply.

In any case, the day passed, and the answer remained a mystery.

「That night.」

Claire Sinclair washed away the day’s fatigue and lay in bed with her phone. She had been out of the country for two and a half days without paying any attention to the news back home. Now that she had some time, she needed to catch up.

Logging into Weibo, she saw a trending topic about her and Adrian Quincy. In reality, the main character was Adrian Quincy; she was merely an accessory.

#AdrianQuincySpottedInChinatown# — Following his recent speech at Meridia University, Adrian Quincy made a high-profile appearance with his girlfriend, Claire Sinclair, in Meridia’s Chinatown. They received an enthusiastic welcome from the expatriate community. The event was briefly disrupted by troublemakers, making the scene comparable to a full-blown campaign rally.

Under the topic, many people were discussing how handsome Adrian Quincy was, but the further she scrolled, the more skewed the comments became.

[She’s just some internet-famous reporter. She only got popular because Young Master Quincy is backing her. An influencer like her isn’t worthy of Young Master Quincy!]

[I object! I strongly suggest Young Master Quincy get a new girlfriend!]

[Can you even imagine it? An influencer and third-rate web novelist like Claire Sinclair as the future first lady of Aridia? Because I certainly can’t.]

[Tell me, where does Claire Sinclair have even an ounce of the dignity a first lady should have?]

[Claire Sinclair, get out of the journalism industry!]

[She only became the number one reporter through hype, buying her way onto trending lists, and taking bribes. What’s there to praise? They should break up already. If they don’t, I’m voting for Young Master Kingsley!]

[I’d rather entrust Aridia’s future to Young Master Kingsley than hand over half the country to Claire Sinclair!]

...

Seeing these comments, no matter how mentally strong Claire Sinclair was, she was still affected.

Regardless of whether these comments came from anti-fans, as long as one person spoke up, countless others would follow suit. When that happened, she would become a stumbling block holding him back.

If being his girlfriend cost him a wave of votes, that was an outcome she truly didn’t want to see.

At this thought, Claire Sinclair began to feel insecure again.

’No, I can’t get discouraged!’

’It must be because I’m not working hard enough that people are questioning my abilities. I have to work much harder than anyone else to stand by his side as an equal.’

’So, just keep working hard, Claire!’

-

「The next morning.」

Claire Sinclair arrived at the Astoria Daily office, full of energy.

She had just sat down when Henry Hartwell emerged from his office, his hair a total mess. The dark circles under his eyes made it clear he had pulled an all-nighter.

Henry Hartwell walked over to Claire Sinclair, let out a yawn, and said, "Claire Sinclair, Paragon Television invited me to be a judge on one of their talent shows. The new year is almost here, and I can’t get away. You go in my place."

’A judge on a talent show?’

Claire Sinclair was utterly astonished. "Teacher Hartwell, how could I possibly be qualified for that? I don’t have the credentials to be a judge. And what kind of show is it?"

Henry Hartwell said, sounding rather dismissive, "It’s one of those idol competition shows. The regulations from above are strict these days. Talent shows are now required to add an influential senior commentator to the existing panel of professional judges. It’s supposed to guide young people toward proper values and cultivate higher-quality idols, or something like that... I’ll send you the details later. Yaaawn..."

His voice trailed off into another yawn as Henry Hartwell headed back to his office to catch up on sleep.

Claire Sinclair blinked. ’I feel like I’ve been set up,’ she thought. ’Can I even refuse?’