After Nancy finished packing, she was about to leave.
Lillian walked her to the door. “If your family is really busy, you don’t need to rush back to my place. I’m here alone, and there’s nothing urgent.”
“Miss Lillian, you must make sure to eat three meals a day. And leave the clothes for me to wash when I get back.” Nancy kept nagging, and only after a few turns did she finally leave the villa.
This was probably the first night that Taylor Mansion felt empty with just Lillian.
She had planned to watch a movie, but decided instead to take a bath. After checking the hospital surveillance footage, she opened her phone and started going through the group messages filled with New Year’s wishes.
She scrolled through them, replying with “Thank you” to each, before realizing there was still another phone. However, she didn’t expect any new messages or calls.
She slowly lay down, feeling the time slip by. Suddenly, her phone began to vibrate wildly.
Lillian’s heart skipped a beat.
She froze for nearly half a minute before answering the call.
“Hello?”
“Are you at Taylor Mansion?”
Lillian glanced at her phone screen-it was Gordon.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“I happen to be here tonight too. A few old friends and I are going to the beach to set off fireworks. Want to join?”
Lillian sat up, confused. “You live here? You have a place near Taylor Mansion?”
“Yeah, but I don’t come by often. Come downstairs, I’ll wait for you.”
Lillian thought he was just joking with her.
She stood up, put on her jacket, and walked over to the window. When she opened it, all she could see was the dark night sky. Then, a crimson glow flickered, followed by a burst of fireworks. The light illuminated Gordon’s face.
She let the night breeze tousle her hair, feeling her eyes grow a little misty.
He waved the handheld sparklers in his hand and called out to Lillian, “Hurry up, I bought a whole bunch! Hogan and the others are waiting at the beach.”
Seeing her still in a daze, Gordon urged, “Hurry up! Otherwise, I’ll just come upstairs and drag you down myself! I’ll give you five minutes. That should be enough time to change, right?”
She nodded, still feeling a little sluggish.
She closed the window, then opened the wardrobe, grabbed a warm-down jacket and pants, and hurried downstairs.
Gordon stood at the door, tapping his foot. When she came out, he sized up her outfit and almost laughed.
“I waited forever for you, and you’re dressed like this? Are you trying to embarrass me, Lillian?”
Lillian exhaled a puff of white breath. “I’m not going to a fashion show with you. It’s just fireworks; who needs to dress up? If you think I look bad, then I won’t go!”
She made it as if to go back inside, but Gordon grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Let’s go.” Gordon slipped one hand into his pocket, holding a bunch of sparklers in the other.
Lillian was already cold, especially since Taylor Mansion was near the mountains. The air was great during the day, but the temperature at night was very low. She had to jog to keep up with Gordon.
“Lillian, are you marching? With those steps, someone might think you’re a zombie playing a human role.”
“It’s cold! You don’t understand!”
Gordon clicked his tongue, then took off the scarf around his neck and tied it around hers. “It’s expensive, limited edition. You’ll pay me back later.”
“Thanks, Mr. Gordon!” Lillian felt warmer right away.
At the foot of Taylor Mansion was a beach, which was actually a pretty nice spot for sightseeing during the day. But now, at night, it was just the few of them left.
When Lillian came down, she really did see Hogan and the others gathered around a bonfire.
Hogan had somehow gotten his hands on a huge handheld firecracker, shaped like a giant castle. As soon as he saw her, he called out, “Hey, Lillian, come check this out! Which one’s better, mine or Lionel’s big crow?”
Lillian hadn’t noticed, but there was indeed a half-meter-long bat next to Lionel, which looked like a monster in the dark.
“A grown man, and you’re showing off a castle? How tacky.” Lionel sneered.
Hogan wasn’t having it. “What’s wrong with a castle? You’ve got gender bias, you know. That’s not the right way to think.”
Lillian really couldn’t believe them. It was the New Year, and here they were arguing. No one mentioned Conrad, so she naturally didn’t bring him up either.
“Here, pick one,” Gordon said, pointing to a pile of fireworks on the ground, each one more random than the last.
Lillian picked a wish tree.
She carefully lit it with the wind blowing, when someone suddenly pushed her from behind, almost sending her tumbling into the sand. Lillian angrily chased after them.
“Stop it! That’s your wish tree!” Gordon reminded her.
Lillian turned around and saw the wish tree starting to pop and crack. A little later, it burst into tiny sparks, like fireflies, and then slowly exploded.
The “fire tree” lit up the sky. Countless fireworks went off above their heads.
“Make a wish! What are you waiting for?” Hogan urged.
Lillian clenched her fists and closed her eyes.
For some reason, at that moment, she suddenly felt like someone was watching her. But when she opened her eyes again, all she could see were Hogan and the others.
Lillian smiled, lowering her gaze. “Why are you all just watching me make my wish? Don’t you guys have wishes too?”
Hogan shrugged. “We’re already rich, what’s there to wish for? That’s just greedy. That’s enough.”
Lillian fell silent for a moment. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Hey, Lillian, what did you wish for?” Hogan asked.
Lillian shrugged. “I want to be a famous director! I want to achieve my dreams, make lots of money, and I hope my grandmother lives a long life.”
Finally, Lillian shouted toward the sea, “Next year, for the New Year, I want to spend it with lots of friends and family!”
“Well said! Come on, let’s toast!” Hogan pulled out a can of beer from somewhere and handed one to each of them. “Here’s to all our wishes coming true!”
Lillian hadn’t had a drink in a while. She downed it quickly and harshly, the cold liquid settling in her stomach.
But sometimes, she really thought alcohol wasn’t such a bad thing.
She quickly finished her drink, and when she saw Hogan and the others had finished and they casually tossed the can aside, she bent down to pick up the bottle.
Gordon raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing, picking up trash?”
“Not littering is a virtue. With you guys thinking about your wishes, how can you act like that?”
The guys exchanged glances, sensing something was off with Lillian.
She wasn’t much of a talker with them, mostly because of Conrad, but today she had the nerve to criticize them directly.
“Have you had too much to drink?”
“Who’s had too much?” Lillian turned and glared at them. “This isn’t how you throw away a bottle. Like this, you have to step on it first!”
She said it like she was waiting for them to follow her lead.
Hogan cautiously stepped on it, but he wasn’t quite used to it, and he missed the bottle.
Lillian clicked her tongue in disapproval.
The men looked at each other, speechless. Well, they were being judged.