No, she wasn’t like this before, and she wasn’t this petty.

What’s gotten into her today?

"I told you I was joking. Do you think if I wanted you to marry me right away, you’d really go through with it?"

She said, a bit irritated—this was the first time her tone towards William Wilson showed a hint of dissatisfaction.

William was taken aback, wanting to say that if she was willing, he really could.

They could even go get the marriage certificate right away.

But seeing the obvious anger rising on her face, William was a bit frightened.

The words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.

Laura doesn’t like him to joke like that.

This realization made his previously good mood noticeably dissipate.

In his deep eyes, there was also a hint of melancholy.

"Are you angry?"

He asked her cautiously, fearfully, and timidly.

In all his life, he only ever liked this one girl, he hadn’t even coaxed his own sister, so he didn’t know how to appease her without upsetting her.

This feeling of hesitation and unease made him, for the first time in his twenty-seven years, feel a bit lost.

What he’s actually more afraid of is that, besides the idol admiration, Laura harbors no other romantic thoughts towards him at all.

If Laura has no romantic feelings for him, what would he do?

Forcing her to marry him?

William mocked himself bitterly in his heart.

How could he bear to make the girl he loves sad, or even hate him?

But to give up on her, give up this girl he’s cherished for twenty years, how could he be willing to, how could he bear it?

Laura Jones was stunned by William’s question, her expression slightly stiffening.

Angry?

A little bit, maybe, but why?

It’s just a joke her husband made; she wasn’t so petty to get angry over it.

But somehow... it really did feel uncomfortable.

"No, I’m not mad at you. You’re my favorite."

Laura looked at William’s uneasy expression, and wouldn’t really admit she was angry.

Normally, hearing Laura say "You’re my favorite," William would be happy for quite a while.

But now, the more straightforwardly she said it, the more helpless William felt inside.

Her expression of adoration was too clear, like other fans, it was admiration for a celebrity, with no love between a man and a woman mixed in.

William was unwilling, really unwilling.

Never before had he felt so strongly that if he really let her go, this unwillingness and reluctance would almost devour him.

His pupils constricted, stopping at Laura’s delicate brows and eyes, taking a deep breath, almost summoning all his courage, he asked:

"Since you like me so much, could you agree to marry me?"

Laura’s forced smile instantly froze on her face.

This question of whether she was willing to marry him, William had asked her twice before, and both times, Laura had taken it as a joke.

She knew William was joking with her, but for some reason, this time, she felt a slight pang of discomfort.

Her brows furrowed deeply as she suppressed the inexplicable surge of anger and replied casually:

"No, I have to find a boyfriend in the future."

The hopeful light in William’s eyes dimmed slightly, his thin lips pressed tightly together to control the emotions surging in his heart.

After saying those words, Laura clearly sensed something was off in William’s demeanor.