"Where did you hear that?"

"From a classmate."

"Who? You haven't even been to school."

"Class Leader."

"Her? She sprained her ankle and called it a broken leg."

"So?"

"Just routine questioning, nothing serious."

"Really?"

"The police uncle said so himself. Would I lie to you?"

"All the time."

"Well, not this time."

Grace Brooks waved his hand and bent down to look at the flowers filling the courtyard. It was the best season for roses, but unfortunately, the rain last night was too heavy. Many flowers had been soaked and rotted by the water, blown apart by the wind, or at the very least, marked with yellow-brown scars from the wind and rain, making them look quite unsightly.

Most of the flowers here were roses.

Lily Carter was still standing behind him, watching his bent back, her voice calm and light: "Have I ever told you..."

"Yeah, I know."

"Know what?"

"You have a basin in your heart. Every time I tease you, fool you, or lie to you, you pretend not to know, but each time you add a little water to that basin. When the basin is full, I'll be in trouble." Grace Brooks frowned, not forgetting to add, "So annoying."

"As long as you know."

Lily Carter said nothing more.

This girl was very aloof.

Not long after, Grace Brooks spotted a peculiar flower in the garden. It had a strong plastic-like blue-green color, like a shade of car paint called Tiffany Blue, or the blue of a robin's egg. He couldn't recall ever seeing a flower with such a color.

"What kind of flower is this?"

Grace Brooks leaned in with great interest.

"Deep Sleep Flower."

"Why is it called Deep Sleep Flower?"

Grace Brooks leaned in and took a sniff. There was a faint fragrance, and he couldn't help but take a couple more whiffs:

"Smells pretty good!"

Lily Carter glanced at his actions, pursed her lips: "Because its fragrance is usually released slowly, it has a calming and sleep-aiding effect. But if you get close and take a deep breath, a large amount of pollen will make a person quickly fall into a coma. An ordinary person only needs one sniff to fall into a deep sleep, completely unconscious."

"Huh?"

Grace Brooks froze.

No way, right?

What followed was his mind starting to feel groggy, as if he didn't want to think about anything anymore, and his limbs began to lose strength.

"This..."

Grace Brooks plopped down on the ground, his face full of disbelief. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Soon, he couldn't even keep himself sitting, and collapsed completely, lying on the stone slabs—his field of vision filled with the early summer sky, pale blue, clouds like gauze, and a corner of the tall, lush jacaranda by the courtyard.

"Meow?"

The long-haired white cat nearby turned its head, staring at him in confusion, but quickly lost interest, licked its own paw, half-closed its eyes again, and continued basking in the sun.

It thought the sun felt wonderful.

Lily Carter walked over and stepped over Grace Brooks:

"Don't worry, it's harmless."

Then she stepped back over him:

"And it's good for calming the mind."

Grace Brooks kept his eyes open, struggling to stay conscious, only able to move his eyeballs.

The gentle sunlight shone on his face, warm but not scorching, reminding him of the days when he and his classmates would lie on the playground after lunch, idly wasting away the afternoon. Those were truly wonderful times.

It really was calming.

Since he couldn't resist...

Grace Brooks closed his eyes as well.

Faint footsteps approached again, this time stopping beside him. Grace Brooks struggled to open his eyes and saw a younger, fresher face—a little girl bending over, tilting her head to look at him. She stood very close, and like her sister, her face showed little expression.

"Brother-in-law, what are you doing?"

Not far away, Lily Carter's voice immediately called out:

"Don't call him that."

The little girl paid her no mind, as if she hadn't heard, still keeping her questioning look fixed on Grace Brooks.

Grace Brooks: ......

Then he saw the little girl tilt her head slightly, glance at the Deep Sleep Flower nearby, and after a few seconds of silence, said, "Brother-in-law, did you smell the Deep Sleep Flower too?"

She tilted her head and waited a while, but when Grace Brooks didn't answer, she turned and walked away on her own.

Her footsteps gradually faded.

Not long after, she came back.

Grace Brooks only felt a pair of hands lift the back of his head, then one hand became two, and then a pillow was placed under his head.

Grace Brooks: ......

About half an hour passed.

Grace Brooks gradually regained his strength and control over his body. He struggled to sit up, tried to speak, and finding he could, immediately voiced his dissatisfaction to Lily Carter: "How could you do that? I even brought you candy, and you just..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

As Grace Brooks turned, he saw Lily Carter sitting on a stone bench. She was at the most radiant age of youth—even sitting, her graceful waistline was striking. She held Grace Brooks's jacket in one hand and a needle and thread in the other. Her skin was snow-white, flawless, and under the early summer sun, it glowed. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, lips tightly pressed together, and as she threaded the needle, her eyes were full of focus.

The scene was so peaceful that Grace Brooks couldn't bear to disturb it.

As if hearing his words, Lily Carter turned her head slightly: