The moon hung high and aloof in the sky, just like the slender, handsome boy in front of her—he looked hard to deal with, yet somehow filled people with hope. Young Master Brooks had been the center of attention since childhood; with nothing off-limits for him, no one could ever get the better of him.

"This necklace is very expensive." She tried to persuade him.

"Is that so?" He nodded empathetically and offered a suggestion, "Why don’t you make a wish? Don’t let it go to waste."

Ethan Turner: ?

……

"This was left to me by my mom." Ethan Turner finally looked at him and said.

Grace Hill had been on her mind a lot today; Ethan Turner rarely thought of her, but maybe it was the woman this afternoon, who had the same catchphrases and witty remarks as Grace Hill, that made her feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the boy in front of her—whose name she didn’t even know. Or maybe it was the necklace itself, as if everything was reminding her of something.

Under the pale moonlight, the two of them looked straight at each other, their gazes open and unguarded. Brian Brooks couldn’t help but notice that, unlike the "cold collision" that afternoon, her eyes now seemed much softer, as if carrying a kind of pitiful plea.

To be honest, having a boyfriend and still flirting with another guy was a real turn-off. Brian Brooks considered himself a veteran in matters of the heart—though he’d never actually had a serious relationship. But he’d been interested in girls early on; back when Henry Clark and the others didn’t even know why they were so obsessed with a particular girl, he already knew how to keep a proper distance.

Because he’d once been caught by his mom writing a love letter as a kid, she always thought he had a bunch of girlfriends. But Brian Brooks never felt he had any issues with girls. Tonight, though, he suddenly wondered if he was meddling too much. He leaned back, looked away, and his tone turned cold: "Well, there’s nothing I can do. Maybe you should ask the firefighters for help?"

"Don’t you have a drone? You could fly it up and take a look, right?" Oblivious to being "flirted with," Ethan Turner remembered the drone she’d seen at his door that afternoon and cautiously shot him a look.

What do you think this is, flying a kite?

"Sharp eyes, huh," Brian Brooks nearly rolled his eyes. "My mom also has a plane—are you interested in that?"

Ethan Turner: "…"

Emily Carter watched the two of them go back and forth, her eyes nearly bleeding from staring so hard. She thought this super handsome guy was really something.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. The cicadas buzzed, hot and heavy, as if they were growing out of the ground. Brian Brooks was about to go inside to check on his instant noodles. As he straightened up, he saw someone carrying a long pole, coming out sideways from the stairwell.

Brian Brooks kept a straight face: "Henry Clark, what are you doing?"

Henry Clark was drenched in sweat, but full of enthusiasm as he stuck the thing out of the doorway: "Helping the young lady find her necklace!"

The pole was a hodgepodge, at least three or four meters long, cobbled together from every long object Brian Brooks's house could provide, including but not limited to a baseball bat, a tripod, a clothes-drying rod, a broom, and a stick of unknown origin. Most unacceptable to Brian Brooks was that there was actually a ladle tied to the very top.

"So, am I smart or what?" Henry Clark tilted his face up, shamelessly fishing for praise.

Brian Brooks finally saw what kind of wood the stick was made of, and his face darkened instantly. "Did you take apart my model?"

Before he could explode, Henry Clark slipped past him like an eel, and started rummaging around the towering tree, shaking the branches so hard the leaves rustled like they were being whipped by a wild wind. Birds, startled, flapped their wings in panic and flew off into the endless night.

"So, did you find—"

He actually did.

In the thick dusk, a shiny gold chain suddenly dropped with a "plop" right in front of Brian Brooks.

Holding his phone, Brian Brooks doubted her taste, but was also thoroughly convinced of her persistence.

But Ethan Turner just glanced at it and said, unfazed, "That’s not the one."

Henry Clark: "…"

Brian Brooks: "…"

Finally, just as the old tree was about to be stripped bare, Ethan Turner's four-leaf clover necklace was found. She calmly and politely said, "Thank you, this is it."

However, Young Master Brooks, ever adaptable, put his hands on his hips, leaned against the utility pole, and directed Henry Clark with an air of authority: "Come on, don’t stop yet, keep shaking—see if there are any gold bars up there."

Ethan Turner: "…"

Emily Carter: "…"

Henry Clark: "………"

--------------------

Author’s note:

Tree: I’m bald now.

Rabbit: Who isn’t?

There’s a little bug with the names—I got carried away while writing.

Thank you to the little angels who gave me "霸王票" or watered me with nutrient solution between 2021-08-06 18:53:39 and 2021-08-08 18:41:33~

Thanks to the little angels who sent rocket launchers: 椿见 3; 老婆爆更我脱非入欧, 28820166 1;

Thanks to the little angels who sent grenades: 我爱徐燕时每一天! 2; 老婆爆更我脱非入欧, 牛魔王老娘, 茜, 恋越日记 1;