Back in the bedroom, the phone was vibrating. It was a call from Marcus Shaw. Answering the phone, Oliver Scott was cut off directly by Marcus Shaw before he could greet him. "Come downstairs, climb out from the backyard," Marcus Shaw said concisely. Oliver Scott’s mind was a bit slow, not reacting immediately. "Come to the balcony." Suddenly realizing something, Oliver Scott opened his eyes in astonishment, quickly opened the French window, and stepped out onto the balcony. The cold wind whizzed through him from the outside, but as soon as he looked down, he saw two figures outside the iron gate of the backyard, and he didn’t feel cold at all. The backyard was usually unattended, with snow piled up and uncleared, a vast expanse of white snow. Only one light was on, which was not bright, casting a dim glow that vaguely revealed the figures standing outside the iron railings. It was Marcus Shaw and Nora Scott. Nora Scott was wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, her hands in her pockets. Her face was lightly made up, and when she lifted her eyes, her gaze shot straight at him, her pitch-black bright eyes seemed to be wrapped in heavy power. Her red lips curled slightly, appearing almost smiling, relaxed and at ease, confident and poised. Marcus Shaw stood beside Nora Scott, wearing a long black coat, holding a phone to his ear, slightly tilting his head, and looking up at the second-floor balcony. In the hazy light, his tall and slender figure appeared clear and handsome, showcasing his good looks. The sudden appearance of these two successfully left Oliver Scott stunned. After waiting a few seconds without seeing Oliver Scott react, Marcus Shaw reminded him. This unexpected situation left Oliver Scott somewhat tongue-tied, "Why are you guys here?" Marcus Shaw replied calmly, "Taking you out for hotpot." At the same time, Nora Scott chuckled and nodded her chin at Oliver Scott. The meaning was: Come down. Oliver Scott responded reflexively. He realized his own answer half a second later and was a bit surprised, and also a bit embarrassed. In his nearly 17 years of life, he had always followed the rules. Maybe occasionally he did something "out of the ordinary" within the constraints set by Alma Ferreira, but those were all within the "it doesn’t matter if I’m caught" range. There were some things, even though he secretly planned them and was carrying them out, however— "Sneaking out to someone else’s house for hotpot on New Year’s Eve" was something he hadn’t even thought about, let alone planned. Oliver Scott raised his eyebrows with a grin, immediately moving to the balcony railing, saying, "Wait for me." "What are you planning to do?" Seeing his unusual behavior, Marcus Shaw quickly called out to him before he hung up the phone. Oliver Scott paused, explaining matter-of-factly, "Jump down." Marcus Shaw gave him an odd look, "Do you want to die?" Oliver Scott looked down, estimating the height from the second floor, trying to explain to Marcus Shaw that he should be fine jumping down. However, before he could explain, Nora Scott took Marcus Shaw’s phone and instructed Oliver Scott, "First, turn off the lights and change your shoes." Oliver Scott turned back, saw the bedroom light was still on, and his enthusiasm dampened quite a bit, responding obediently. Taking two minutes to get ready, Oliver Scott dressed up and put on comfortable sneakers, then returned to the balcony. Over the phone, Nora Scott suddenly asked, "Have you learned parkour?" Hearing the word "parkour," Oliver Scott’s eyes lit up, immediately getting excited. "Alright, then jump," Nora Scott nodded slightly, instructing directly, "Jump onto the grass, watch your moves." Oliver Scott replied happily, then hung up the phone. Glancing at the carefree Nora Scott, Marcus Shaw looked up again, estimating the distance from the balcony to the ground, slightly frowning. This height was no problem for Marcus Shaw himself. But for Oliver Scott, who only played ball sports and ran occasionally... Oh well, he wouldn’t die from the fall. Worst case, he’d spend the winter break laying down. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁 Thinking this, Oliver Scott already had one hand on the railing, leaping up. He squatted slightly, looked down at the landing spot, and without hesitation, jumped down. In the cool night, the young body spread out, carving an arc in the air, stirring the treetops and scattering snowflakes, landing in a blink, rolling with the momentum, and then stopping, standing up unscathed. His black coat was covered with snowflakes after the roll. As he got up, he brushed them off with his hands and looked towards the door, his face wearing a warm, bright smile with a touch of rare exuberance. Sighing silently in relief, Marcus Shaw raised his eyebrows at him. Oliver Scott agreed, and in the next moment, he dashed forward with a quick stride. Reaching near the iron gate, he easily jumped up, grabbed the railing, and using his strength, he climbed over in no time, hopping down in just a few moves. —This set of movements was taught by Marcus Shaw on the day of the winter break when he climbed over a wall. It was only taught once. Yet this comprehension impressed Marcus Shaw greatly. Not thinking much, upon landing, Oliver Scott’s eyes met Nora Scott’s, his eyebrows full of joy as he immediately walked over to her. However, after taking just two steps, Marcus Shaw stepped aside, raising an arm to block Oliver Scott’s way. Stopping in his tracks, Oliver Scott blinked, looking at Marcus Shaw in confusion. Marcus Shaw stared at him coldly, hiding a warning. Unexpectedly, Oliver Scott was entirely oblivious, spreading his arms and giving Marcus Shaw a big hug. His sweet little voice. This call made Marcus Shaw, who instinctively wanted to kick him, reluctantly retract his leg. He didn’t linger, pushing Oliver Scott away after two seconds. "You really came to pick me up." Oliver Scott was still a bit excited. Having grown up, he’d never done such "rebellious" things before. If it were someone else, he might be a little nervous or worried, but since it was Marcus Shaw and Nora Scott, he was only excited. The reason is probably that both Nora Scott and Marcus Shaw seemed accustomed to this sort of thing. Oliver Scott felt no guilt. "Did you think we came specifically to watch you jump off a building?" Marcus Shaw countered. After a moment of silence, Oliver Scott did not argue with him, moving aside a step, looking around briefly before asking Nora Scott, "Sis, how are we getting back?" With a flick of her fingers from her pocket, Nora Scott took out the car keys. The sound of driving can be quite loud, so to avoid being noticed by Alma Ferreira and Sophie Scott in the backyard, Nora Scott parked the car a bit farther away and walked over with Marcus Shaw. It was about a five-minute walk. It was obvious that Oliver Scott was doing this for the first time, and on such a special day, he seemed quite excited, chatting with Marcus Shaw all the way. When opening the car door, Nora Scott glanced back at the aloof Marcus Shaw and the chatterbox Oliver Scott, suddenly smiling. The two of them together kind of complemented each other. The trip back and forth took quite a bit of time. By the time Nora Scott brought Oliver Scott and Marcus Shaw back to the alley, it was already 9 PM. "Is it just you two and Sir Easton at home?" "Is Mr. Lucas Langley there too?" "Then who else is there?" Oliver Scott and Marcus Shaw went back and forth. With Marcus Shaw’s helplessness almost reaching a breaking point, they finally arrived at the courtyard. Since it was the New Year, the attendants and maids were given a few days off. The rooms on both sides of the courtyard were unlit, completely dark. Only the room directly facing the door had a light on, with orange light seeping through the doors and windows, casting a bit of a shadow on the snowy ground. Inside, it was not as quiet as Nora Scott imagined. —Logically, there should only be Laura Collins. But there were clearly voices coming from inside.