"Did I ever tell you that I’m actually quite good at cooking?" Pedro Langley heard this, propped his chin with one hand, and studied her carefully, sincerely asking, "Is it the kind of ’good’ that leads to ’blowing up the kitchen’?" It was rare for her to be honest, not expecting to be teased . Nora Scott narrowed her eyes dangerously, "Are you planning to spend this year in bed?" "Why don’t you give it a try?" Pedro Langley chuckled silently and followed along with her banter. Unexpectedly, when Pedro Langley changed the subject, Nora Scott was displeased, "Go make your congee." Without intending for her to cook, Pedro Langley smiled wryly and turned to leave the room. The wind blowing through the window was cool, brushing past her hair and cheeks, with a hint of chill. The door was left open, and the sounds of Pedro Langley busy in the kitchen occasionally drifted in. Brushing away that bit of unpleasantness, Nora Scott’s expression gradually frosted as she reached for her phone beside the pillow. The voice answering the call was young, with a clear tone carrying a hint of confusion. Getting out of bed and donning a coat, she closed the door before coolly asking, "How’s the surveillance on the person I asked you to watch?" "You said just to watch and not interfere. They’ve had a few private dealings, no issues spotted, but lately they’ve been getting a bit careless." The young man reported seriously, "The person you wanted info on was reportedly active in Fenton City recently, but it’s unverifiable." They were only connected to the northwest network, outside of which was beyond their reach. Nora Scott squinted slightly, her expression becoming more indifferent, and instructed, "Have Virtue Retreat keep an eye on it." The young man agreed promptly. After a pause, the young man asked, "Uncle, anything else you need?" After a moment’s thought, Nora Scott’s brows relaxed, and she asked, "How’s business at my shop?" "Well..." The young man hesitated for a moment, then lightly coughed, "Uh, we’ve been drawing customers with mine and Humphrey’s faces." "...Oh." The young man felt emotionally hurt but, being used to it, quickly recovered and asked, "We all miss you. When are you coming back?" Nora Scott paused, glanced towards the adjacent bedroom, and said softly, "Soon." After freshening up, Nora Scott entered the living room. Pedro Langley had already placed her lunch on the table. It turned out to be congee, but not plain; it was century egg and lean pork congee. It was unclear whether Marcus Shaw, Laura Collins, or Pedro Langley himself had made it. "You drank on an empty stomach last night and didn’t eat this morning, so have some congee first." Pedro Langley explained. Nora Scott responded slowly, walked to the dining table, and sat down. Just as she picked up her spoon, her phone rang. Setting the spoon down, Nora Scott pulled out her phone and was slightly surprised to see Laura Collins’s name. Answering the call, Nora Scott asked inquisitively. Without greeting, Laura Collins asked, "Are you awake?" Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽 There was a hint of urgency in her tone. "Turn on the TV! Military channel!" Laura Collins emphasized. Even without the speakerphone on, Pedro Langley beside her could hear it. Nora Scott glanced at Pedro Langley. Pedro Langley instinctively picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and slowly searched for the military channel during the brief startup wait. Turning on the speakerphone, Nora Scott set the phone on the table, picked up the bowl of congee, and inquired, "What’s going on?" Laura Collins’s voice paused for two seconds. Then she said, "Zero has more or less hit the trending topics again." Nora Scott instinctively looked at Pedro Langley. Caught by her gaze, Pedro Langley appeared innocent, "I didn’t do anything." Zero’s tendency to trend was not his doing. Seeing how certain he was, Nora Scott suspiciously looked away. At this point, Laura Collins began to explain, "Little White Dove made it to the military channel. The reason being, the peacekeeping troops we interviewed a couple of days ago, each had a copy." Nora Scott almost choked on the congee she just tasted. Laura Collins continued, "It caused a storm online right after it aired this morning. It hit several trending topics, with various military and party media sharing it. This afternoon is the replay, around this time. See if it’s on?" The TV finally switched to the military channel. Setting the spoon down, Nora Scott turned her head slightly to watch the TV. In less than half a minute, the show transitioned to an interview with the peacekeeping troops abroad. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, and the festive atmosphere is quite strong. This is a special interview focusing on peacekeeping, reporting on their lives, daily routines, training, and tasks. It’s a sunny but barren land where they, dressed in uniform peacekeeping attire with blue berets, conduct their training and tasks. Life appears hard, mundane, and monotonous but is immensely fulfilling. In fleeting scenes, Nora Scott sees a few familiar faces. In a particular shot, behind the host, in a wide-open space, the sharp sound of a whistle rings out. Then, soldiers come running from all directions, forming a line. Each soldier is tall and dashing, and all are female soldiers. A female team member holding a whistle walks into the frame, the brilliant sunlight falling from above. Her smile is lazy and easygoing, with a hint of roguishness in the arch of her brows. The camera quickly moves on. The scene shifts to the dormitory, with austere conditions yet impeccably tidy, fitting everyone’s image of a soldier’s dorm in the country. Yet, in such dormitories, on every precisely made bed, there is a book laid out. —A comic book, "Little White Dove." No matter how many dorms the camera switches to, they are all the same. Everyone has a copy of "Little White Dove." Even the interviewing journalist was stunned and explained in the background the surprise this scene triggered. They specifically asked the stationed in-charge about the situation. The answer given was: "This is our true story. The author is a friend of one of our female officers. As for these books, they were all shipped over by the author’s efforts." Afterward, the program performed a spectacular move, spending a full minute covering Zero’s influence, the impact of "Little White Dove," and its creation and sales... Official endorsement. Initially, Nora Scott was glad Fátima could receive her books smoothly, but upon seeing the latter part... she was a bit confused. Isn’t it better to have a proper news program? Outside, snowflakes have begun to fall, unnoticed. At first sparse, one by one, then larger and larger, drifting down quickly together, obscuring the view. The program had finished airing. The living room was peaceful and quiet, only filled with the sounds of the TV. Nora Scott and Pedro Langley exchanged glances. After a while, Pedro Langley put down the remote, leisurely looking at her. "Congratulations, trending on social media during the New Year." "...Thanks." Nora Scott replied with a wry smile. Lightly pinching the spoon, Nora Scott stirred the porridge in her bowl, suddenly recalling something, she asked: "How did you manage to gather those one hundred books?" "Remember that fortune teller I told you about?" Pedro Langley chuckled, asking. "Do fortune tellers have such skills these days?" Nora Scott feigned amazement. "Her husband is in the military, now a professor in a military school. Since ’Little White Dove’ started its serialization, she’s been closely following it. She pre-ordered a hundred copies, but happened to be out of Fenton City lately, so the books at home haven’t been delivered." "And then you took them?" Pedro Langley responded matter-of-factly. Nora Scott suddenly smiled, "Thank her for me." Pedro Langley didn’t reply, but said, "You’ll have a chance to meet her." Nora Scott was slightly taken aback. On closer thought, of Pedro’s friends, aside from Camilo Nogueira whom she had met once, she hadn’t met anyone else. She has a group of friends, and Pedro must have his as well. But during the time they spent together six years ago, their circles never had a chance to merge. With a slight curve of her lips, Nora Scott turned back, lowered her head, and continued eating her porridge. After a few bites, Nora Scott suddenly thought of something, glancing to the side, she saw the phone still on a call. Focused on the TV all the while, she had completely forgotten she was still on a call with Laura Collins. Two figures walked into the courtyard. One in front, one behind. Marcus Shaw carried various ingredients, following behind, while Laura Collins carried two bags, tightly gripping the phone, with both Bluetooth earphones visible under her short hair. Through the wind and snow, seeing their silhouettes, Nora Scott suddenly had an ominous feeling. Soon, the door to the living room swung open— Laura Collins stepped into the entryway, the fierce wind and snow crashing in from behind, sending swirling snowflakes flying in. Stopping, Laura Collins lifted her gaze, scanning until it landed on Nora Scott. Nora Scott felt a chill in her chest. Laura Collins asked sinisterly, "Did I just hear some explosive news?"