Nick Zeller had no idea that Gregory Quinn had just returned to the city not long ago either.
Moreover, he didn't return to his own home with Grace Day but went directly to the marital home he and Brooke Osborne had purchased.
This marital home just so happened to be located in Temple Court Residential Area, a new house built this year in the third phase of development.
Building F, 8th floor, Unit 303, two bedrooms and one living room, with a total construction area of just over seventy square meters. However, given the current housing prices, it's worth over a million.
In fact, it was all furnished, and Brooke Osborne originally planned to keep it vacant for a while before they both moved in.
Grace Day fell in love with the place at first sight and dashed around the house, excitedly dreaming of how to decorate the new home, while asking Gregory Quinn, "Quinn, is this house your marital home? If you get divorced, will you have to sell the house?"
Gregory Quinn was equally pleased with the house, so as soon as he entered, he couldn't resist boasting secretly on Zhihu.
He initially wanted to find an "auspicious day" not only to divorce but also to move. To his surprise, within five minutes, he saw his question rapidly climbing to the top of the homepage trending list.
"What the hell? It's so late already, and there are still so many people bored on Zhihu?" he muttered to himself as he quickly clicked into it.
The reply from that "Great Heavenly Master of the New Era" had already become the most liked and commented reply.
Gregory Quinn's eyelids twitched uncontrollably like they had a spasm.
"Who the hell did I offend? Where did this 'Great Heavenly Master of the New Era' conman come from?!" he said in shock and anger, realizing that the person even guessed his real name, making his face burn with shame.
It was like someone planning to streak in the dark suddenly found themselves under the spotlight in the square.
Exposed, with no privacy whatsoever.
Gregory Quinn was furious, desperately searching for a way to delete the post on Zhihu.
After searching for a long time, he realized Zhihu's settings were infuriatingly rigid!
It turned out that if the post hadn't been answered, the creator could delete it.
But once someone answered it, the creator could no longer delete the post!
"What kind of stupid rule is this?! Damn Zhihu, ruining my life!" he cursed, discovering that more and more people were attacking him. In a fit of anger, he decided to personally retaliate.
The username "Bird's Eye Tree's Appearance" responded: [Puh! What 'Great Heavenly Master of the New Era', where did this con artist come from?!].
The username "Bird's Eye Tree's Appearance" responded: [It's you who is unlucky threefold! Your whole family is unlucky threefold!].
The username "Bird's Eye Tree's Appearance" responded: [Just you wait! Once I'm done with the divorce, I'll show you what a textbook 'clean break' looks like!].
The username "Bird's Eye Tree's Appearance" responded: [After New Year, the first day the civil affairs bureau opens, I'll follow through! You, this con artist master, just wait and see!].
The username "Bird's Eye Tree's Appearance" responded: [By then, I'll make you kneel and bow to me, and swallow back all the words you spit out!].
Gregory Quinn invited people to answer just for fun, so he sought out some Zhihu users related to feng shui and fortune-telling.
He didn't believe in any of it himself, it was purely for amusement, and he was very confident in his own layout.
Seeing his face turning red with anger, Grace Day curiously leaned over to glance at his phone.
She gasped and covered her mouth, stammering, "...Your wife can bring prosperity to her husband? Won't you regret it... divorcing her might come with serious consequences..."
"Bullshit! She can bring prosperity?" Gregory snickered, "That woman is under my control in every way, from head to toe, inside and out."
"Let me tell you, all that feng shui and fortune-telling stuff is nonsense. To truly achieve your goals, you need to rely on this." He pointed to his head, giving a wicked smile.
"Really? Quinn, you're amazing!" Grace Day was utterly charmed by Gregory Quinn and nestled snugly in his arms.
The two of them stood in the empty living room, dreaming together of a bright future after the New Year's celebrations.
...
At the same time, Brooke Osborne and Kenneth Osborne stood in the hallway outside their home's entrance.
Brooke didn't rush to open the door but softly pleaded with Kenneth, "Afar, can you keep today's matter about Gregory and me a secret for now?"
Kenneth's face darkened slightly, half of his body hidden in the corridor's shadow as he asked plainly, "Why? Are you holding onto some hope for that scumbag?"
"No, no, how could I have any hope? He's already planning to have kids with someone else..." Brooke felt deeply distressed but mustered the strength to persuade Kenneth, "I'm only doing this so Mom and Dad can have a happy New Year."
Her voice grew lighter and more uncertain as if a feather, endlessly adrift and unanchored, in mid-air.
Kenneth, thinking of their parents, fell silent momentarily.
"Please, Afar? I'm really not doing this for Gregory..." Brooke lowered her head, her hands tightly clasped in front of her, and her foot casually shuffled on the marble floor, betraying her intensely nervous mood.
After a long pause, Kenneth nodded, but he added, "Sis, you have to promise me that after the New Year, you'll get divorced immediately. I'll wait for you to finish before going back to school."
"Ah? Isn't that bad... won't it affect your credits if you're late..." Brooke looked up in surprise, inspecting Kenneth carefully.
The corridor lights were a bit dim, casting a dull yellow hue over everything. It was like the lighting on some TV shows, comparable to a demon-slaying mirror, reducing the allure even of a peerless beauty by several percentage points.
Yet Kenneth's beauty remained unaffected.
When the lights were bright, he shone like the sun.
When the lights were dim, he was as radiant as the moon.
With such good looks, even she would be biased, let alone their parents...
Brooke spoiled this younger brother without limits.
Kenneth, however, showed no such tolerance, solemnly stating, "Sis, I'm already working on my thesis for my master's degree this year. Next year, I'll earn my master's degree, so my schedule is very flexible."
"Ah? Your graduate advisor agreed for you to graduate?" Brooke brightened up, "People take four years for a bachelor's degree, and our Afar gets both a bachelor's and a master's!—Sister is so proud of you!"
Seeing that Brooke seemed much more spirited, Kenneth finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Sis, if Nora sees you like this, she'll say you're a 'brother-supporting demon' again."
"Then I'm a brother-supporting demon." Brooke answered with a sweet smile, pressing the doorbell while entering the password and softly laughing, "Lawrence also calls you a 'male fox spirit,' and you don't seem to mind."
Kenneth laughed even more joyfully, his phoenix eyes curving into a charming arc, "'Male fox spirit'? Did Nora really say that?—Well, Nora will definitely have an exciting New Year."
...
Just as she locked herself in her bedroom, Lawrence Winters suddenly sneezed.
She looked up at the night outside the floor-to-ceiling window, puzzled: the window isn't open; the room's heating is at twenty-five degrees, so why did I suddenly shiver?