As she was about to leave, Sophie Thorne was still a little worried. She took Melody Summers’s hand again and asked, "Are you sure you don’t want to move to The Nimbus Hotel? I can arrange a suite for your family. It would be a perfect way to avoid The Suttons."

The Sutton Family’s bloodline had been severed, making them something like cornered beasts. Sophie Thorne was afraid they might do something rash in their desperation—lashing out and dragging someone down with them, and that Melody Summers would be caught in the crossfire.

But Melody Summers just shook her head. "There’s no need! Don’t worry, I can handle it."

Melody Summers hadn’t been afraid of the Sutton Family before, and she wasn’t about to start now.

’Besides,’ Melody Summers thought, ’what does Ethan Sutton getting castrated have to do with me? Is there any reason to pin the blame on me for that?’

’If anything, I’m the one who put Raymond Hayes behind bars! The Suttons ought to be thanking me for it!’

Seeing Melody’s insistence, Sophie Thorne could only nod in resignation.

After a moment’s thought, she added, "There’s a party at The Nimbus Hotel the day after tomorrow. You should bring your family and come. I’ll send someone to pick you all up."

Melody considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. A huge snowstorm was expected in a few days, so there weren’t many chances left to get together and enjoy themselves.

’At a gathering like that,’ she thought, ’people are always up-to-date on the latest news. It couldn’t hurt to go and gather some information.’

The property manager had mentioned that the coal shipment for The Metropolis Residences still hadn’t arrived, and Melody wanted to see for herself what the situation outside was really like...

******

After seeing Sophie Thorne off, Melody Summers happened to run into Joyce Lawson on her way back.

Joyce Lawson was clutching a plastic bag, and Melody could vaguely see it was filled with a pile of sand vine cakes.

Seeing Melody Summers, Joyce Lawson smiled and waved. "Summers, have you picked up today’s sand vine cakes? I heard they added sugar today, so they taste sweet!"

Joyce Lawson looked much better; it seemed she had managed to pull herself together.

Melody was taken aback for a moment. She sidestepped Joyce’s question and asked tentatively, "Joyce... are you alright?"

Joyce Lawson paused, stunned, then smiled and shook her head. "I’m fine... My family told me they were just worried I’d get cheated by someone, that’s why they put the house in my little brother’s name... I’ll still be the one living there, and my brother won’t try to take it from me."

Joyce really had managed to convince herself.

’Even though my family favors my brother over me,’ she thought, ’it... it doesn’t mean they don’t love me!’

When she was sick, her father would bring her water and medicine, her mother would bring homemade meals to her bedside, and her grandmother would keep an eye on her little brother to make sure he didn’t disturb her rest.

Joyce Lawson sighed and murmured, as if to console herself, "Really, as long as the whole family lives together, it doesn’t matter whose name is on the deed..."

Seeing Joyce in this state, Melody knew there was nothing more she could say. ’In the end, it’s her family’s business. What good would saying anything more do?’

’Could I really force Joyce to cut ties with her family?’

’Could I actually say to her face, "I don’t think your family loves you that much"?’

’There was no way to say it that wouldn’t be out of line.’

So Melody could only force a smile. "Well... I guess you have a point..."

Hearing Melody say that, Joyce seemed to let out a breath of relief, as if she’d gotten the answer she was looking for. She then changed the subject and started making small talk with Melody.

"Sigh, ever since we bought this apartment, my salary and bonuses have been completely wiped out. I used to be able to go to the black market for a little rice to make congee now and then, but now it’s just sand vine cakes for all three meals."

"Oh, by the way, Summers, let me tell you a little trick I’ve figured out over the last six months. If you cut the sand vine cakes into small pieces, dry them in the sun for two days to get the moisture out, then cure them in salt overnight, they’re really good with congee the next day."

"But you can’t do that with the sweet ones from today, of course. The taste would be really weird..."

"I heard the experts say we’re in for several months of heavy snow, so I don’t even know if I’ll be able to get to work. The hospital told me that if the snow gets bad enough to lock down the city, we don’t have to come in. But that means I won’t get paid. Ugh, it’s so stressful."

These were precarious times. An employee who showed up for work one day might suffer a terrible fate the next. Because of this, wages were now paid out daily or weekly. You only got paid for the hours you worked, and base salaries had been almost entirely eliminated.

’If I can’t go to work because of the snow and I stop getting paid,’ Joyce thought, ’my family will have nothing but sand vine cakes to eat for a long time. I don’t know if they’ll be able to stomach that!’

Melody listened quietly, chiming in with a murmur of agreement now and then. ’The height of the snow disaster will definitely be the hardest time...’

After chatting for a little while longer, the two headed back to their apartment building together.

They rode the elevator up to the 16th floor. As soon as the doors opened, Melody saw several property management staff in the hallway. Tate was among them.

Several boxes of various sizes were piled in the hallway, looking like luggage.

Joyce Lawson, clutching her sand vine cakes, returned to 1601, while Melody stood in the hallway and watched curiously for a moment.

Tate noticed Melody and greeted her with a smile. "Miss Summers!"

Melody greeted Tate back, then asked, a little puzzled, "Why is everyone gathered here? Did a new neighbor move in?"

Tate nodded. "Yup, the new owner of 1602 just arrived. They hired us to help bring all their luggage up at once."

Melody said, "Oh," and thought, ’More and more people have been moving into The Metropolis Residences lately. Joyce’s family just moved into 1601, and now 1602 is already getting new neighbors.’

Just as Melody was saying goodbye to Tate and getting ready to head home, she suddenly heard a man call her name from behind—

"Melody Summers!"

Startled, Melody turned around to see a man and a woman walking out of 1602.

The man seemed completely oblivious to the cold, wearing only a black suit despite the sub-zero temperatures. He had a short, stout build, which made the suit look slightly comical on him.

The woman with him was even more absurdly dressed. She had a sweater on her upper half,

Melody looked at the woman’s thin stockings and couldn’t help but shiver.

’Can these two not feel the cold?’

The man in the suit who had called her name strode up to Melody. He squinted, giving her a careful look-over, then spoke with an air of surprise. "Melody Summers, it really is you! Long time no see!"

Melody looked at the man in confusion, her brow furrowed slightly. She honestly couldn’t remember who he was.

After a moment’s hesitation, she asked tentatively, "I’m sorry, you are...?"

Hearing her question, the man in the suit slapped his thigh in mock exasperation. "Come on, you don’t even remember me? It’s me! Your old classmate, Ivan Warren!"

Melody’s eyes widened slightly—she remembered now. The man in front of her was indeed her college classmate, Ivan Warren. Not only that, he was also Austin Hale’s good friend and roommate.

Melody had been reborn, so to her, college felt like it was many years ago. That was why she hadn’t recognized Ivan Warren right away.

Ivan Warren’s eyes swept over Melody from head to toe, his admiration plain to see.

When he spoke again, his tone took on a flirtatious edge. "Wow, gorgeous. It’s been two years, and you’ve only gotten more beautiful... Are you still single?"