"Can’t you consider the fact that I’ve waited for you for five years, hmm?" Pedro Langley spoke softly, the last nasal sound rising with a hint of assertiveness and a bit of coquetry. Weirdly mixed together, yet not awkward at all. Nora Scott didn’t make a sound. Her eyes were open, and in her line of sight, he was so close that she could see his pores clearly. Her mind was in turmoil, and she couldn’t say whether it was good or bad, just staring at him, her gaze moved from his jaw to his lips, nose, eyes, finally stopping at his eyelashes, long and thick, with a few tips even touched by melting droplets, crystal clear. She remembered the feel of those lashes on her palm, so light, tickling as they blinked, like the softest feather. She didn’t speak, making Pedro Langley feel empty and uncertain, completely unaware she had drifted off. Pedro Langley then intensified his tone, almost accusingly, "Nora, you left cleanly, forgot satisfactorily, living freely outside, but what about me?" "Hmm... let me think." With a blink, Nora finally shifted her attention from his eyelashes. Strengthening the grip on her arm, he asked, "How long will you take?" Looking elsewhere, Nora suddenly felt awkward and instead asked, "How long can you wait?" His head lowered a bit more. Their noses almost touched, breaths mingling. He softly parted his thin lips, enunciating every word, "A lifetime." Oh, a lifetime... hmm? Google seaʀᴄh NoveI(F)ire.net The gaze that had drifted away was instantly pulled back, Nora stared at him, yet the moment she met his pupils, she saw a seriousness that wouldn’t waver. The living room lights were still on. Nora pushed the door open and entered, the warmth welcomed her, easing the cold around her. From the kitchen came the sound of running water and clinking dishes, Marcus Shaw was naturally washing the dishes. She took off her scarf and coat, heading straight to the bedroom, but when passing the coffee table, she couldn’t help but stop. On the coffee table, there was a new slender-necked glass vase, half-filled with water, a rose placed inside, blossoming vibrantly, dazzling red, bright and dripping. She glanced at the kitchen, smiled slightly, then turned her gaze away and walked into the bedroom. The desk lamp was on, warm light spreading in circles, enveloping the stacks of drawings on the desk. Elbow resting on the desk, head propped on one hand, Nora slightly tilted her head, the pen twirling round after round between her fingers, dizzying. After sitting for a good ten minutes, she drew two strokes, then became absent-minded, her thoughts drifting who knows where. Eleanor Taylor’s shout from outside suddenly pulled Nora’s attention back. Her window faced the courtyard, clear and bright, a glance outside showed Eleanor Taylor was waving her phone animatedly. Nora was puzzled and pointed towards the living room. Eleanor understood, nodded, and ran straight to the living room. Nora put down the pen, got up, and headed outside. When she entered the living room, Marcus Shaw had already opened the door to let Eleanor in. "Nora, something major happened!" Eleanor was so anxious her face was completely red, holding up the phone and rushing over to Nora, almost pushing the phone into Nora’s face. Nora turned her head to avoid it. Pushing Eleanor’s hand slightly aside, Nora frowned lightly, asking calmly, "What happened?" Eleanor asked, "Did you see ’Base No. 9’ episode two?" It was about nine o’clock now, she had just returned home not long ago, her mind not on manga, hadn’t had time to go online. However, she was the first to know the content of the second episode, rounding up, it was as if she had "already seen" it. "Do you know UU’s ’First Ruins’? It’s a popular manga lately." Mentioning this, Nora already had an idea. Seeing Eleanor’s emotional agitation, Nora pulled her to sit on the sofa beside her. Marcus wasn’t interested in manga, not knowing what they were discussing, listened for a moment, then left. "’First Ruins’ updates at the same time as ’Base No. 9,’ in tonight’s 8 p.m. update, someone found the settings of both mangas collided." Took a breath, Eleanor was extremely anxious, "Now the internet is a mess. ’First Ruins’ was released earlier than ’Base No. 9,’ the worldview appearing in tonight’s update of ’Base No. 9’ is similar to the first three episodes of ’First Ruins,’ UU’s fans already voiced against the uncle before, now they’ve found a chance to hit on my uncle, they’re spamming everywhere, taking over all major forums and sites." Nora was calm and poured herself a glass of water. Eleanor Taylor leaned in excitedly and asked, "Nora, you’re on the uncle’s side, right?" "You absolutely believe the uncle wouldn’t plagiarize, right?!" Getting a positive response from Nora Scott, Eleanor held Nora’s hand earnestly and said, "Nora, I just knew it, I didn’t trust the wrong person." You didn’t trust the wrong person; you just trusted the wrong one. Seeing Eleanor with tears in her eyes, Nora didn’t burst her bubble, feeling a mix of amusement and helplessness. Curving her lips into a smile, Nora asked, "What’s the situation online now?" When the second installment was handed to Kieran Shawn, Nora already anticipated that the internet would be in turmoil tonight. Kieran also foresaw it and worriedly asked her if she really had to make it so obvious, suggesting some minor tweaks in the setting. Nora didn’t agree. Kieran was troubled for several days about it until Nora handed him the storyboards for the third installment, and he finally calmed down. He kept clamoring for the third week’s update. However, how far the online chaos would go, Nora couldn’t exactly predict. "There are mainly three groups. One absolutely doesn’t believe the uncle would plagiarize; another stays neutral or is just here for the drama; and the last group, the haters and UU fans, are going all out to slander the uncle," Eleanor explained, counting on her fingers. "The first two groups are the majority, while the latter is fewer, but they sure talk nastily." Eleanor had already familiarized herself with the situation and opened a few links for Nora to browse through quickly. [I don’t believe the uncle would plagiarize, waiting patiently for the third installment.] [The start of "Base No. 9" already completely outshines "First Ruins." With the uncle’s abilities, there’s no need to plagiarize the worldview.] [You UU folks mimicked the uncle’s panels and plagiarized his art style, did we say anything about it? Now you’re turning things around to grab attention, can you chill for a bit?] [The similar worldviews aren’t solid evidence, waiting for more updates.] [Leaving aside the worldviews, "Base No. 9" blew up in the second installment; plot and characters run wild like untamed horses, impossible to predict the twists.] [The male and female leads are becoming more like villains, ruthless killers with no hesitation, not at all the noble or righteous type—I’m loving it. Worldview? We don’t care about that; just the storytelling alone makes "First Ruins" look miles behind.] [Earlier, some experts already speculated that the uncle came prepared this time, showing signs of intentionally targeting UU. Why does it feel like it’s becoming true?] [Blind guess, the uncle is about to pull off another stunt, stirring the pot. Whenever this guy acts unusually, it’s definitely going to cause a ruckus. I doubt he feels comfortable unless he’s up to something.] [Is the uncle trying to ruin UU? I suspect a conspiracy behind the clashing worldviews, folks!] [I oddly believe Zero wouldn’t do something to ruin his own reputation. Got my seat ready and snacks in hand, waiting for next week’s developments.] [With such a collision, and still saying it’s not for hype?] [Stop praising Zero to high heaven! Running out of ideas, huh? Multiple points of the worldview clash, have some dignity?] [Their motive is punishable. Intentionally targeting UU, just using his fame to suppress newcomers? Now he’s envious of the new blood and resorting to plagiarism, disgusting much?] [Delusional fans, wake up, calling him a god; does that make him a god? Just a packaged deal, keeping things mysterious. Is it a person or a team, who even knows, yet you’re worshiping .] Moreover, there was a mêlée between fans and haters, exchanging words back and forth, with all sorts of vile language. Nora didn’t continue reading. She returned the phone to Eleanor. Glancing at Eleanor, Nora said helplessly, "You have a lot of messages." While browsing, message alerts at the top of the phone screen popped up one after another without stopping. "Hehe." Eleanor scratched her head and laughed, "I mix in fan circles, joined many groups, and now that this happened, everyone’s excited." She opened a few groups, scanned through quickly, and relayed to Nora, "We’re now planning to organize a counter campaign to prevent the haters from spreading the ’plagiarism’ rumors, affecting bystanders." Nora asked, "Did you finish your comic edits?" "Nah..." Eleanor tilted her head back, flashed a smile at her, then said nonchalantly, "No rush, the editor hasn’t been chasing me for it." Since the person involved was so laid-back about it, Nora, of course, wasn’t in a hurry either. She leisurely drank some water, took out her own phone, and glanced through her WeChat messages. [Kieran Shawn]: Uncle, the second installment is up, and talks of crashing ideas and plagiarism have surfaced. [Kieran Shawn]: Can you send me the completed third installment? At least let me have a rough idea? [Kieran Shawn]: I’m begging you. [Kieran Shawn]: Now the entire company is on my back, I barely managed to keep your contact safe. [Laura Collins]: Nora, have you heard about the worldviews of "First Ruins" and "Base No. 9" clashing? [Laura Collins]: Why do I feel like "First Ruins" plagiarized "Base No. 9," and then the uncle got upset and pulled off such a trick?] Nora touched her nose. Sure enough, friends are somehow connected at heart. [Pedro Langley]: I just stepped away for a few minutes. Can you not stir up trouble when I’m not around?