After that, Stanley Batton found a black switch. Once he flicked it upward gently, the lights came on.Xyla Quest subconsciously squinted when the strong rays of light suddenly appeared.“It’s done…” Stanley slowly turned off the torchlight on his phone and looked at her.Under the bright light, Stanley’s naked upper body became fully visible.Xyla immediately pushed his hand away and looked down while she walked over to the couch.“Get changed, and we’ll head over to my father’s house for dinner…” Xyla said.Stanley did not say anything. Instead, he silently walked up the stairs.***When Xyla and Stanley walked onto the street outside, they could see a sea of red lanterns hung all around them.Slowly, Stanley drove them into the Quest family’s villa compound.The courtyard was also brightly lit with red lanterns.Many cars were parked in front of the main building.As the doors were open, people in the courtyard could clearly hear people talking and laughing inside.On C
Stanley Quest felt extremely annoyed by the questions. Slowly, he stood up. “I’m going for a smoke outside. Enjoy your chat,” he said before nodding politely at the group of people and walking out the door.After leaning against a lamppost, he slowly lit a cigarette and took a puff at it.The warm light above his head seemed to create a layer of luminescence around him.Meanwhile, he could still hear laughter from the brightly lit living room.Now that the wind had stopped, a sky full of stars could be seen.“Cousin-in-law, do you mind sharing a cigarette?” a crisp voice asked.Stanley looked over at the girl, who was the second daughter of Emily’s uncle, whose name he had forgotten.The girl was beaming at him with bright eyes.Stanley did not answer her. Instead, he pulled a cigarette out from its box and tossed it to her. After that, he took a long puff at his cigarette before letting it out as he looked up at the stars.Stanley did not look at her again. In fact, he did no
“Five Batton, I’m impressed with what you just did there,” Xyla Quest said.“Were you?” Stanley Batton took a long puff at his cigarette before turning around and looking up at the starry sky as he blew smoke rings out of his mouth.The smoke rings came out of his mouth and quickly disappeared into the night.“Yes. How were you cruel enough to allow her fall to the ground?” Xyla asked before bursting into laughter.“Because I hated her,” he said.“Were you able to tell that she did it on purpose?” She asked.“Do you take me for a fool?” He asked blandly with the same expression on his face.“Many men aren’t able to tell the difference,” Xyla said.Stanley remained silent as he continued to smoke.“Why are you out here too?” He asked after a while.“To get you to come inside for dinner,” Xyla said.Stanley stubbed the cigarette out before swiftly tossing it into a trash can nearby.After that, he offered his bent arm to Xyla.Xyla immediately caught the hint and wrapped her
Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, Cecelia Conner was at a loss for words. “It really was an accident…” She had no choice but to act dumb.But even if she explained herself, nobody in the house would believe her.“Look at this child of yours… Her hands are all over the place. How could you touch your cousin-in-law with your leg? Aren’t you far too careless?” Emily Quest’s aunt stood up and berated her daughter to diffuse the tension in the air.Stanley Batton ignored them and grabbed a piece of pork before placing it in Xyla Quest’s bowl.Jeremy Quest looked coldly at Cecelia. “You’re having dinner at my house. You need to respect my rules. Keep your hands to yourself.”When Jeremy said these words, Cecelia felt even more embarrassed.It felt as if Stanley and Jeremy had slapped her in front of everyone.Her cheeks felt unbearably hot.“Okay… I understand, Uncle.” Cecelia nodded.Emily’s aunt rolled her eyes at Cecelia before giving her a look, indicating that she should start ea
When Stanley Batton saw that it was a call from Henry Armstrong, he immediately hung up.But Henry would not give up. He called Stanley yet again.Only then did Stanley get up and walk over to the french window to pick up the call.Outside, people were playing with fireworks. The sky became filled with colorful bursts of flames.Xyla Quest could not resist walking closer and watching the fireworks outside, standing approximately two meters away from him.“What’s going on? Why did you hang up on me? Same old rule. We’ll stay up all night playing mahjong. See you at the same place,” Henry said.“I’m not going,” Stanley said without hesitation before looking at Xyla, who was next to him.The exploding fireworks seemed like flowers blooming in her eyes. Xyla seemed in awe, almost like a child.“No… But why? This is how we have been spending this day every year since we were eighteen. Why can’t you come this year?” Henry clearly sounded upset.“That’s because there’s someone with m
“That’s all he can do,” Stanley Batton said.“Not true. I’ve heard many people cover this song, but none of them has done a better job than Josh Batton. A voice like his and a face like that, what a joyful experience,” Xyla Quest said admiringly.She believed that Josh Batton would claim the first spot on the list of trending topics on the internet tonight.Josh was able to deliver such a stunning performance with ease.B Site, TikTok, and Kuaishou would surely be flooded with Josh’s rendition of ‘Loyalty to the Country’.Stanley raised his brows slightly as he looked at the television.“That’s all he can do,” he said with a gradually sunken facial expression.At that moment, the host was inviting Josh over to interview him.Xyla looked at the screen excitedly in anticipation of the interview, but Stanley silently switched the television off.Xyla frowned unhappily as soon as the screen went dark. “Five Batton, what are you doing? I’m still watching it.”“It’s time for bed. D
“No, your father is well now and will be back home in a little while,” Sharon Lindt said.“You really are having a good time… Always leaving my dad behind at Grandpa's, free as a bird,” Josh Batton said.“Nothing will happen to him. Your grandfather is such a good doctor. Besides, it's not like I'm intentionally staying away from him. I have my problems to deal with here, don’t I? Can’t you see I'm trying to keep an eye on your big brother and Xyla Quest?” Sharon asked.The smile on Josh’s face disappeared at the mention of Xyla’s name, and the light in his eyes faded.The disappointed look on his face was so fleeting that no one noticed.“I told you. You don’t have to worry about my life,” Stanley Batton said.“Should I not worry just because you tell me not to? I am worried about you anyway. What can you do about it?” Sharon said.Stanley pinched his nose bridge in frustration and didn't say anything.After talking to Stanley, Sharon focused on Josh. “And you, Josh, when are
May Conner was leaning against Jeremy Quest, and she could hear exactly what was said over the phone.Her pupils instantly shrank, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She quickly grabbed Jeremy’s phone and put it on loudspeaker.“What did you just say? What do you mean, she’s about to die? What have you done to my daughter?” May grew more and more agitated as she spoke, and her whole body was trembling toward the end of her sentence. The veins around her neck were apparent, and her face was flushed red.She practically hissed when she ended her sentence.Jeremy’s eyes were filled with panic as he listened carefully.The Sullivan family was stunned. None of them had expected to hear such news.Xyla Quest was equally filled with shock, and her eyes were wide with disbelief.“Here’s what happened. Since a few days ago, she has been out of sorts, and the psychiatrist diagnosed her with severe depression. She's been in psychotherapy for the past two days, and there was always someone w