The entrance to the alley buzzed with excitement.Kevin Parker, standing barely five feet five inches tall, rode an old bicycle through the crowd. He wore a borrowed Pinstripe suit, and a large red flower was pinned proudly to his chest.Sitting behind him was the bride.A beautiful bride.As neighbors gathered along both sides of the alley to watch, Kevin Parker's eyes nearly disappeared from smiling.Who wouldn't envy him?Today was the happiest day of his life.Behind the bicycle, several people followed with cheers and laughter, creating a lively wedding procession.Elysia Smith looked especially stunning.Her delicate features, bright peach-blossom eyes, and shy smile made her impossible to ignore. Dressed in a newly tailored floral cotton-padded jacket, her graceful figure stood out even in the cold weather.She was youthful.Beautiful.Captivating.Many of the young men watching couldn't help staring.Among the crowd stood a long-faced young man absentmindedly stroking the faint

Ryan Williams already knew exactly what kind of man Thomas Carter was.In the courtyard, Thomas Carter wore the mask of a respectable elder, but beneath that mask was a hypocrite who excelled at manipulating people through morality and public opinion. In Ryan Williams's eyes, he was even more detestable than Jason Holt, a villain who at least never pretended to be righteous.As Thomas Carter spoke, the atmosphere in the courtyard shifted.The crowd began murmuring among themselves. Disapproving looks came from every direction. The familiar pressure of collective judgment settled over the gathering like a heavy blanket.Unfortunately for them, Ryan Williams wasn't the same person anymore.He had already seen through these people.If not for the fact that his property was here—and because surviving in this era wasn't easy—he would have left this place long ago.Once spring arrived, he planned to leave without hesitation.The farther away from these people, the better.Trying to live in h

An older woman stepped forward and helped Elysia Smith to her feet.With her swollen face and tear-filled eyes, she looked even more pitiful than before. The crowd couldn't help but sympathize with her.Only Ryan Williams knew what kind of person she truly was.Behind that innocent face hid a woman who was far more calculating than she appeared. Given enough time and opportunity, she would climb over anyone in her way. Beneath her gentle smile was the heart of a schemer.Ryan Williams looked at her and sneered inwardly.Still acting? Fine. Let's see who does it better.His body suddenly swayed.The next second, he staggered forward as though he were about to collapse."Watch out!"Director Sterling reacted instantly, lunging forward and catching him before he hit the ground."Ryan!""What happened?""Are you alright?"Director Brooks hurried over, her voice filled with concern.Ryan Williams's face twisted in pain as he pointed weakly at his right leg.Director Sterling immediately rol

At that moment, Ryan Williams lay on a hospital bed with an IV drip attached to his arm.His injuries had already been examined. The fluid dripping into his veins wasn't medicine—it was glucose. His body was simply too weak, so the nurse had arranged for him to receive nutritional support.After confirming that he was stable, Director Brooks and the others left. Before departing, they specifically instructed the nurses to take good care of him and even paid the three dollars required for his hospital stay.In truth, Ryan Williams already had fifty dollars in compensation money—a considerable fortune in this era.Still, since Director Brooks insisted on paying, Ryan Williams didn't refuse. Accepting the favor would give him a legitimate reason to maintain contact in the future.Lying on the bed, he glanced around the ward.The walls were whitewashed but worn, and the wooden windows were tightly shut against the cold. If not for the sunlight that came through during the daytime, the room

No one, absolutely no one, was rooting for Caleb Davis.The general consensus was simple: this kid, barely twenty and almost a complete nobody, had zero chance of nailing this complicated scene in one go. Even if he got lucky and managed to perform well, the whole thing might still be useless. Maverick Wyatt had set such a notoriously awful, destructive precedent just minutes ago that any follow-up performance felt doomed from the start.Caleb knew all this, of course, but honestly? He couldn't have cared less.He was relying on the 'Colt Cooper' memory package the System had dumped into his brain, plus the weird, sharp insights he'd gained during his recent martial arts breakthroughs. Caleb wasn't acting; he had literally internalised the character Colt Cooper. He could call up that perfect performance whenever he felt like it.He walked into the makeup room and changed into Colt Cooper’s official costume.Sitting at the mirror, Caleb watched his face change under the makeup artist's