Alice Grant came out after breakfast and found that the unfamiliar old man had already left. Brian Carter was tidying up the teacups on the table.

He noticed Alice Grant looking at the spot where Old Nie had just been sitting and took the initiative to say, “He’s my friend, surname Nie, lives in the building next door. He went back first and said he’ll invite us to his place for a meal in a few days.”

“Oh.” Alice Grant followed behind him. “We’re going out to get my ID today, right? What should I wear?”

Brian Carter put the cups away and went to the laundry room to fetch a set of clothes. “The clothes you wore yesterday have been washed and dried for you. Just wear these again today. After we finish with the ID, we’ll go buy you some daily necessities.”

Alice Grant took the clothes and pulled out a pair of purple underwear from inside, soft and carrying the fresh scent of jasmine laundry detergent. “You even washed my underwear for me?”

Brian Carter: “……”

The old man’s face didn’t change at all, calm as an immortal. He was no longer the husband who used to blush at the slightest tease.

While Brian Carter was looking for something in the room, Alice Grant walked to the door and tried it, discovering that the main door recognized her information and opened with a pull. Alice Grant had no idea when Brian Carter had set that up, but she walked out.

It had rained heavily yesterday, but today the weather was nice. The sun was already out, the grass outside was still damp, and water droplets hung from the flowers and trees in the yard. Compared to the vibrant colors in the neighboring yards, this one seemed much plainer. The plants were barely trimmed, and there were no brightly colored flowers—only a jasmine bush with a few small white buds. Clearly, the owner here didn’t take much care of the yard.

“Let’s go.” Brian Carter came out. The two of them walked under the shade of the trees to the entrance of the community, where there was also a bus stop. Just like yesterday, they called a car, and Brian Carter brought Alice Grant to a tall building. In front of the building, the large red characters “Serve the People” gleamed in the sunlight. The big sign at the entrance read Haishi Public Security Bureau Headquarters.

Inside, administrative staff came and went, all in uniform, and no one gave them a second glance. Alice Grant saw quite a few people handling something at a machine on one wall, like the old self-service machines in banks. Brian Carter didn’t go there; he went straight to the counter for in-person service. Soon, someone came out from a side door and led them to another office.

“Ms. Grant’s situation is special. Last night, Mr. Carter already discussed the relevant legal provisions for such cases with us. According to previous cases, Ms. Grant should have a one-year observation and social assistance period. However, given Mr. Carter’s high citizen credit score and the fact that you are married, this observation period will be reduced from one year to six months.”

“Here are some documents for you both to review.” The serious-looking middle-aged man handed over two sets of documents.

Alice Grant flipped through them. It was a thick stack of clauses, including various obligations and benefits, and required signatures at the end.

“Mr. Carter has already applied for information protection, so our media will not expose any information about Ms. Grant. If anyone illegally spreads Ms. Grant’s information and it causes trouble in her life, we will help to clear it up. Please rest assured, we respect and protect the legal rights of every citizen…”

The middle-aged officer talked for quite a while. When it was finally over and Alice Grant walked out of the public security bureau, she realized something. “So what he meant just now is, no one will come to interview me or put my photo online, and there won’t be a bunch of strangers coming to gawk at me, right?”

Brian Carter nodded. “That’s right.”

Alice Grant: “…If this had happened forty years ago, my situation would have been treated like a rare animal on display.”

Brian Carter: “Because in the first time-travel case—the old man—he was literally watched to death by too many people. After that, the special protection law was enacted.”

Alice Grant: “So doesn’t that make things difficult for you?”

Brian Carter looked puzzled, not understanding what she meant.

Alice Grant explained, “Look, if people find out I’m the fifth time traveler, your acquaintances will be curious and keep asking you about it. That would be so annoying. But if you don’t tell anyone, and they see you suddenly have a wife, they’ll think you’re dating someone much younger and misunderstand you. Isn’t that awkward?”

Brian Carter didn’t seem to care. “Let it be.” He searched for a nearby shopping mall, planning to take Alice Grant shopping.

Alice Grant stood at the entrance of the enormous mall, thinking that even forty years later, physical malls still hadn’t been replaced by online stores. But along the way, there were far fewer of those old general stores.

This mall was absolutely massive—there was no way to describe it. Alice Grant had never seen a mall this big before. There was an endless variety of goods, more than forty different sections, and just the elevators to different areas numbered twelve. Alice Grant had never liked shopping malls, and now she was practically dizzy just following behind Brian Carter.

First, they went to buy a phone. Nowadays, phones are officially called personal terminals—just like something out of a futuristic novel. Alice Grant was actually interested in this and browsed around the specialty store twice.