Let Me Take Care of You. Can We Start Over?

Sophia didn’t respond to Abigail because she was feeling regretful.

Years ago, Chen Lao had given her a special opportunity to study abroad, but Steven found out about it. He knelt in front of her, begging with all kinds of sweet words, even proposing to her, tricking her into giving him the opportunity.

At that time, she had no friends and had some feelings for Steven. She trusted and cared about him deeply, second only to Ye Luo. So in the end, she gave in to him.

But after Steven went abroad, she was fired by an angry Chen Lao.

She had hoped that when Steven returned, he would at least help her through her most difficult time as a friend. Most importantly, she valued their friendship and thought it was irreplaceable.

Instead, Steven immediately got together with Ning Shu and even scammed her out of some money before cutting off contact. When the news spread, she was labeled as Steven’s ex-girlfriend and was dumped by her unfaithful boyfriend.

It became a big deal, something that was all over TV, but only the people involved knew the truth.

"Steven is not a good man for Ava," she warned Abigail, but Abigail didn’t believe her.

"Sophia!" Abigail’s eyes turned cold as she stared at her. "I know Steven was your first boyfriend. Now that you see him come back successful, you want to get back together with him. I can understand that. But you don’t have to lie to Mom."

"I’m just telling the truth," Sophia replied. "If you really care about Ava, Steven shouldn’t even be an option. He’s just a pretty boy being taken care of by his girlfriend. Even the company he started was funded by her family. And most importantly, I’m not interested in him, so I won’t help you."

"If you’re not interested in him, then don’t stop your sister from pursuing him. Besides, it’s not bad to be with a rich man," Abigail said seriously. "At least he’s capable of opening a hospital under Ning Shu’s name. As long as the hospital stays open, Ava will never have to worry about money again."

"You guys are beyond saving," Sophia said, feeling disgusted by Abigail’s twisted way of thinking.

"I don’t care what you think. I want you to help your sister," Abigail insisted. "Arrange more dates for Steven and Ava. Let them spend more time together. Your sister will handle the rest."

Sophia looked at Abigail for a moment before casually saying, "I’ll do my best to help Ava." As she raised her hand to gently brush Abigail’s hair, she secretly pinched off a strand when she pulled back.

Abigail smiled brightly. "Come on, I’ll make your favorite braised prawns for lunch."

At the dining table, Ava and Steven chatted happily. Every time Steven tried to talk to Sophia, Ava would quickly change the subject.

The next day, Sophia had planned to meet Ye Luo, but she had to postpone it because she was busy collecting hair samples.

That evening, Henry returned home, and she used the same method to collect his hair.

However, neither the elder brother nor the younger brother had returned, and she didn’t have time to stay any longer. She had to go back to the mansion.

"I had a great time at your place today," Steven said outside the door. His gentle expression hid a deeper desire.

"As long as you’re happy," Sophia replied, seeing through his act.

"I didn’t get a chance to talk to you properly today because your sister kept pestering me," Steven said, his tone even softer. "But I need to impress your family to make a good impression."

"You came here just to impress them?" Sophia sneered.

They walked side by side in the deep autumn night, looking like a couple in love from afar.

Especially with the way Steven gazed at Sophia, his eyes filled with stunning greed.

"I’m impressing your family to impress you," Steven said with a smile. If Sophia still loved him, she might have felt happy hearing that. But as someone from a broken family, she only felt disgusted.

"You’re really thoughtful," she said with a hint of sarcasm.

"It’s been six years since we parted." Steven stopped walking and looked at her seriously. "Do you still hate me?"

"I don’t hate you," Sophia said firmly.

"Why not?" Steven was shocked and looked at Sophia in disbelief. "After I went abroad and got together with Ningchu, you must hate me."

"I think you're being too full of yourself," Sophia said, looking straight into Steven's eyes. "I never hated you."

Steven was surprised. "Then... can we start over?"

"Steven, I'm not the same Sophia as before," she reminded him. "The old Sophia has changed after being beaten down by this cruel world."

"No matter what happens, you're still my Sophia," Steven said as he reached out to hug her.

"I'm not your Sophia. I'm just me," Sophia avoided his touch. "Don't forget, you only have what you have today because of Ningchu's money. Don't be ungrateful."

"If it wasn't for Ningchu's money, I wouldn't have even paid attention to her," Steven said, unhappy with her rejection. "But after being with her for so many years, I’ve gained a lot of wealth—enough to give you a better life. So, Sophia, let's make up."

"You live off a woman, and now you want to use that money to keep me?" Sophia laughed sarcastically. "Did you learn this twisted way of thinking while studying abroad? You really didn’t deserve the opportunity I gave you."

"What's wrong with me living off her and then using her money to take care of you?" Steven shamelessly replied. "She willingly gives me money, I didn’t force her. And I can use that money to make sure you don’t have to struggle."

Then he added, "After studying abroad, I realized working hard is too exhausting. It’s better to be taken care of by Ningchu and live an easy life. I think you’ll also enjoy a life where you can get rich without doing anything."

Steven’s values shocked Sophia. He was truly the perfect match for Ava. Both of them had such twisted ways of thinking. He was so disgusting that even calling him shameless wasn’t enough.

But what made her even angrier was that he had wasted the opportunity she gave him—an opportunity that could have changed her life.

"I still prefer to earn my own living," she said, suppressing her anger. "It's getting late. I have to go."

"I have a car, I'll drive you back." Steven quickly pointed at a BMW parked nearby and suddenly reached out to rub her head when she wasn’t paying attention.

"What are you doing?" Sophia frowned, her expression turning cold. She warned him, "Don't touch me, Steven. Please behave yourself."

Steven didn’t expect her to react so strongly, but in his eyes, the more emotional she was, the more she must care about him.

That made the way he looked at her even softer.

"Sophia, think about it. Let me take care of you. Can we start over?"