Evan Carter thought that if she still hadn’t found a new place to live in five days, she’d just figure something out then.

The next day was the last day of 2013.

The Nanwu city government, together with Nanwu Broadcasting, held a New Year’s Eve fireworks show, divided into two viewing areas: Huaizhuwan Resort and Dongjiu Square. Tickets were free, but had to be reserved in advance through an online lottery.

Only citizens who had reserved and won the lottery could participate.

When Samuel Clark made her reservation earlier, she chose the Huaizhuwan viewing area, and after winning, she invited her to go together.

Evan Carter didn’t waste her spot.

The station had approved this event two weeks in advance, and as usual, Evan Carter had to work overtime to do a live broadcast on site. But unlike Samuel Clark, she was assigned to Dongjiu Square.

Evan Carter applied for a news van from the station.

The team went ahead of time to prepare, and the driver was her mentor, William Harris. Besides the two of them, Eric Foster also came along, plus a senior reporter, Henry Parker, who would appear on camera.

When they arrived, there was still quite a while before the fireworks show started.

The square had three entrances—A, B, and C—divided into three separate viewing areas that didn’t connect. There were already quite a few people at the scene, and tickets and IDs were being checked at the entrance as people gradually entered.

They were just one of the teams assigned by the station, and they were placed in Area A.

Besides them, there were many other reporters from various TV stations and newspapers.

After finding a suitable spot for filming, William Harris began setting up the equipment. This was a fairly large event, with a big and diverse crowd, no fixed seating, and people of all professions and ages.

Maybe it was the novelty of seeing a camera, but a circle of people gradually gathered around, whispering among themselves.

The square was shrouded in sea mist and night, with rows of tall buildings in the distance casting colorful beams of light. The sea breeze, cold and damp, lashed fiercely at their faces, seeping through every gap and into their bones.

Evan Carter still hadn’t fully readjusted to Nanwu’s damp, chilly weather, and on top of that, her period had just started today, so she was feeling even worse.

She took a mask out of her bag and put it on.

She stood for a while longer.

Evan Carter checked the time, planning to use her free moment to go to the restroom. William Harris and Henry Parker were still communicating with the control room, so she didn’t bother them and just told Eric Foster.

Following the signs, she walked about a hundred meters before finally spotting the public restroom. Next to it was a shabby little pavilion, packed with people either resting or waiting.

The restroom wasn’t very big, and the line for the women’s side stretched five meters out the door.

But there wasn’t a single person at the men’s entrance.

The contrast was stark.

Evan Carter resigned herself to waiting in line.

Bored, she took out her phone and scrolled through Weibo for a while. Before long, she heard a quiet conversation not far away. One of the voices sounded familiar.

Evan Carter looked over.

On the small open space outside the pavilion, the lights were bright and a bit harsh.

She squinted slightly, and as her vision cleared, she saw Ryan Grant, whom she’d just seen yesterday, in that area again.

It almost felt like a hallucination.

From this angle, she could only see his profile.

The man’s expression was indifferent, leaning loosely against the pavilion, wearing an army green windbreaker that made his shoulders look broad and his legs long. He was wiping his hands with a tissue, looking like he’d just come out of the restroom.

He was slightly hunched over, talking to a middle-aged woman sitting on the bench beside him.

The woman glanced up at him. “Done?”

Ryan Grant: “Yeah.”

The woman stood up. “Then wait here for Zhi Zhi, she’s still in line. I’m going to find your dad first.”

“…” Ryan Grant paused, slowly lifting his eyelids. “Even going to the restroom needs someone to wait?”

“There are a lot of people, aren’t there?” the woman said. “Besides, your dad and I want some couple time. Why are you tagging along?”

“Then why did you ask me to come?” Ryan Grant said with a half-laugh, “To babysit for you?”

The woman patted his arm, looking a bit gratified. “If you’d realized this sooner, I wouldn’t always have to rack my brains for excuses like I do now.”

Ryan Grant: “…”

Before leaving, the woman added, “Oh right, have a heart-to-heart with your sister while you’re at it. She seems really stressed lately—she’s lost a lot of weight.”

Ryan Grant tugged at the corner of his mouth, half-smiling. “Me, have a heart-to-heart with her?”

The woman: “Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“It’s not just an age gap between us,” Ryan Grant took out his phone, sounding casual, “—there’s a gender gap too. So I’ll leave that to you.”

Three seconds of silence.

The woman just said, “So now you don’t even listen to me, huh?”

“…”

After the woman left, Evan Carter realized she’d been eavesdropping the whole time. The line moved forward, and she snapped back to attention, taking a few steps ahead.

From this spot, she couldn’t see Ryan Grant behind her anymore.

About a minute later.

Samuel Clark sent her three messages.

Samuel Clark: 【[/image]】

Samuel Clark: 【I’m shocked.】

Samuel Clark: 【I used to send him group holiday greetings out of courtesy, and he never replied. I thought he didn’t use WeChat anymore.】