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The next day was New Year’s Eve.

Daisy Zane hardly slept all night, rising as dawn began to brighten the sky.

She took two bottles of wine and three goblets from her suitcase, then headed uphill.

After a long walk, she reached a mountaintop.

The mountain was full of lush greenery, with an ancient tree that must have been there for a hundred years.

The trunk was so thick that two adults couldn’t wrap their arms around it.

It faced the sun, so its lush, wide canopy stretched out to the south.

It provided excellent shade below.

However, in this shady spot, two gravestones stood to the south.

One belonged to Daisy’s grandmother, Victoria Zane, and at the other, there was an empty tombstone with nothing written on it.

They stood on the mountaintop, facing the sun, gazing at the stretching mountains and the world beyond Cold Green Village.

Daisy Zane hadn’t been here for an entire year, and some weeds had grown around the tombstones.

She set down the wine and glasses, cleared some of the weeds, and then cleaned the two tombstones.

Once she finished, she squatted in front of the tombstones and watched for a while. Then she opened a bottle of wine, pouring it into all three glasses.

She placed a glass in front of each tombstone, then took one for herself. She sat between the two tombstones, gazing out at the rugged, unending mountains…

The sun rose higher, and the temperature climbed with it.

The wind on the mountaintop blew, sweeping over the grass beneath and rustling the tree overhead, causing Daisy’s hair to flutter. Even the wine in the glass rippled.

Daisy’s eyes looked even lighter under the sunlight, and she remained motionless. The usual cold demeanor had faded.

She looked dazed, expressionless.

It was a state of deep relaxation, not just physical but also mental. Even her thoughts seemed to have slackened.

She even looked a little deflated.

Another gust of wind blew across, pushing the hair on her cheek back down.

It was as though an invisible hand had soothed her hair back into place.

Her eyelashes twitched slightly, and she gradually regained her focus, glancing at the empty tombstone next to her.

A faint smile curled her lips, and she sipped the wine.

“Brought your favorite wine,” she said. “It’s New Year’s, you can drink a bit more.”

After she finished, she tapped her glass against the other two, saying: “I met Johanes Miles. How should I put it? He’s not as competent as he is hot-tempered. At his age, he’s still quick to quarrel and lacks the calm demeanor.”

“He’s also indecisive and listens only to his father. At his age, he can’t even discern right from wrong, just repeating whatever old Master Miles says.” Daisy thought for a moment before saying, “Blind filial piety, I suppose.”

She then looked at Victoria Zane’s tombstone, “Grandma, your judgment in choosing a son-in-law…hmm…was somewhat lacking.”

“But I can’t say that he’s utterly incapable. He manages the company quite well,” Daisy said. “It’s a good thing I wasn’t raised in his family. Their values are fundamentally flawed.”

“Compared to Grandma’s upbringing, they are worlds apart. There’s no comparison,” Daisy added quickly.

“I also acted in a show,” Daisy said. She probably hadn’t spoken this much in a year before today, “I earnestly worked my way up from the bottom, experiencing the whole process of selecting scripts, auditioning, participating in table reads and training…l’ve gone through it all, haven’t missed a thing.”

“Even almost experienced the unspoken rules… Well, I guess I did experience it. A role I auditioned well for was nearly given to someone else.”

“Just this one show gave me a taste of everything that needed experiencing. So, I won’t be so meticulous for the next one. One time is enough, or else what’s the point of all the fame I’ve built as a scriptwriter?”

Daisy leaned against the blank tombstone next to her, “Don’t you think?”

She talked for a long time, almost saying everything she wanted to about the past year.

She fell asleep against the tombstone after tiring herself out talking.

It wasn’t until darkness fell and people started setting off fireworks that she roused, sitting atop the mountain watching the fireworks with them for a while before slowly making her way downhill.

When she returned to her room on the hillside, she glanced at her cell phone, which was only 18% charged. It was past midnight.

The phone was almost useless here, except for providing light and telling time.

It couldn’t receive any messages.

She charged her cellphone.

Then she took three cups of instant noodles from her suitcase and went to the room next door.

That room was specifically used for cooking. To the right of the entrance, there was a neat row of firewood. Luckily, it hadn’t rained lately, so she could use it directly.

As soon as you enter the room, there’s a stove and a large pot.

There were quite a few electrical appliances for cooking inside the room, all bought by her at some point. However… compared to the electricity capacity in the Cold Green Village, their power ratings were too high.

Using them once posed a risk of a village-wide blackout.

On such an important holiday, it was best not to attempt it.

So she made a fire, boiled water in the pot, and cooked the three cups of noodles. She sat on a small stool in front of the stove and finished all of them.

After eating, she cleaned up the room before going to bed.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Kevin Clark got up early and paid respects to his parents.

Then, without waiting for Theo Clark and his family of four, He drove to the Lane family’s house by himself.

He stayed at the Lane’s for about half an hour before returning.

At this time, the Clark family had just sent off a group of guests. Theo Clark and his family were about to go to the Lane’s themselves. That’s when they saw Kevin Clark greet them briefly in the front hall and then retreated back to his own courtyard.

Shortly after, they saw him coming out with two suitcases.

Although he seemed serious, you could tell he was slightly anxious.

He didn’t even ask the servants to carry his cases, presumably because he felt they were too slow.

Mr. & Mrs. Clark, along with Theo Clark’s family of four, and a yard full of servants, all watched him.

They hadn’t seen Kevin Clark in such a rush before, not to mention carrying suitcases himself.

“Where are you going during the New Year?” Theo Clark asked.

“Out to pay some New Year visits,” Kevin Clark replied.

Theo looked at his parents, then his wife. He felt like he was dreaming: “Does our family… have relatives that require you personally to pay New Year visits?

And with luggage? Who has such a big influence?”

Kevin Clark looked at his parents: “Mom, Dad, I’m going on a vacation down south, I’ll be back after the seventh day of Chinese New Year.”

Then he turned to Theo: “Big brother, you guys stay at home and be with mom and dad. I’m leaving.”

As soon as he finished speaking, not giving anyone time to protest, Kevin Clark hurriedly left the main courtyard.

By the time everyone regained their senses, he was long gone.

“Rebellious child! He’s always away from home, now he’s even gone during

New Year!” Elina Clark scolded.”

Theo Clark also felt it was unusual. His brother, every year except for paying respects to the patriarch of the Lane family, hardly met anyone.

Granted, their family didn’t have many relatives, and those who came to visit did so for him and his dad.

Kevin was never responsible for entertaining guests, when he was at home, he would either be playing with birds or watering plants.

But running off somewhere, this was the first time in years.

“Hugo, where did he go?” Theo suddenly turned to his son.

Hugo Clark was standing at the back of the crowd, looking down at a message that Allonzo Hobson had sent him.

[Your third uncle seems to be in an extremely bad mood these days.]

[It’s about the Miss Zane I’ve told you about before. The Miss Zane, who made your third uncle bloom like an iron tree. She went back to Cold Green Village for the New Year and won’t return until after the seventh day.]

[You probably know about Cold Green Village. It’s underlined in the poverty alleviation project. There’s no internet or signal there.]

[Your third uncle can’t contact her, he must be going crazy inside. Here’s a word of advice: annoy him less during these days, or you might be the one to bear the brunt of it.]

Hugo Clark promptly turned his cellphone screen off and looked up at his father, saying in a deep voice: “How would I know about third uncle’s affairs?”

“The two of you are always joined at the hip, how could you not know about his affairs?”

“Dad, I hardly saw the third uncle since September till yesterday.” Hugo Clark said.

Theo Clark choked: “You’re two years older than him, ordinarily you should look out for him more. What can he be up to, running away on New Year’s. This kid, doesn’t let people worry less.”

Behind-the-scene knowledgeable Hugo Clark: ‘ What else could it be, he just went to court love..