Happy Trails Live was a children’s show held once a month. This year, more than eight thousand children and parents from different cities attended, the largest crowd since the show first began.In previous years it had rarely drawn more than five thousand, but the show was clearly growing in popularity.A car pulled up outside the venue. The doors opened, and a beautiful, mature woman stepped out from the driver’s seat.The back door opened next. A tall man emerged with an exaggerated beard and wild hair, small glasses perched on his nose. He held his chin high and wore farmer’s clothes, moving with deliberate theatrical exaggeration. An old guitar hung across his back.From the other side of the car stepped a round, cheerful man with a wide grin and rosy cheeks. He wore bright patchwork overalls over a striped shirt, huge suspenders stretched across his belly, and oversized shoes that squeaked with every step. A floppy little hat sat crooked on his head, and his face was painted pure

Alex hurried to the car, eager to check his system notification, which he had purposely ignored earlier to avoid getting distracted.“Why the hurry, Jax? Slow down,” Anna called.Alex paused and smiled in amusement.“Are you going to get stuck calling me that name?”“Well, it sounds cool. Hey, Tilly, catch up already! See? Both names sound cool.” She laughed.Alex smiled and got into the car. He immediately opened the system.Ding!(400 star points have been rewarded.)Ding!(The host made thousands of children and parents genuinely happy, attracting the spirit of good luck. Reward: 200 star points.)Alex smiled gleefully. So something like that exists too?“System, show me my stats,” he commanded mentally.Ding!Host level:Entertainment skills:Star points: 810Singing: level 7Dancing: level 4Composing and songwriting: level 9Acting: level 7Music production: level 5Instruments:Guitar: level 7Charisma: 6Special skills:Resonance level one:Resonance enhances the emotional imp

The video began.It showed Alex exiting the men’s washroom and walking down the corridor.Moments later, the woman rushed out of the women’s washroom and grabbed his arm.“Please help me,” she said urgently. “My friend is dying.”She pulled him inside.Inside the washroom, Alex looked around in confusion.“Where is she?”The next moment, everything happened extremely fast.The woman suddenly grabbed his hand, pulled it around her waist, and kissed him.A loud gasp spread across the courtroom.Before Alex could even react, the door burst open.Security rushed inside.The woman immediately shoved Alex away and began crying.“Help! He tried to force himself on me!”The video ended.The courtroom erupted with murmurs.The prosecutor’s confident expression had vanished.Across the room, the woman who had accused Alex looked visibly shaken.“That footage proves nothing,” the prosecutor said quickly. “The victim could have been coerced before the recording began.”Alex’s lawyer calmly folded

“You still haven't told me where we are going.”“You want me to spoil the surprise?” Anna replied.“Well, suit yourself then. But please remember I have a date,” he reminded her.“I don't think it's going to take up to an hour. Don't worry, you still have enough time to go see your little girlfriend,” she replied.“Little girlfriend? I don't want little girlfriends. I want big ones, maybe if you are willing,” he joked.Anna pouted and turned her face toward the window, refusing to speak to him again. The warmth from earlier vanished as she returned to her usual cold self.Alex immediately regretted ruining the moment with his careless joke. The silence in the car thickened. Even when he apologized, she simply shook her head and insisted she wasn't offended, yet the quiet that followed said otherwise.A few minutes passed in that uneasy silence before she suddenly asked, out of nowhere, “But would you like older women like me?”Alex coughed, nearly choking on his own breath, clearly no

Alex took a cab to Views Hotel, a very popular hotel in Saints City.Wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled over his face and huge eyeglasses that hid most of it, he entered the hotel and headed straight for the private lounge that had been arranged beforehand.He thought Amber might arrive a few minutes later, but he was surprised to see she was already there. She sat on the couch with her phone in hand, probably scrolling through something online, not noticing when he stepped inside.He walked over quietly and tapped the top of her head.She looked up.Her eyes lit up instantly."Alex!"She jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around him before he could even say a word."I can't begin to explain how excited I was about you winning the case," she said softly, holding him close.Alex allowed the hug to linger a little longer than necessary. Her body was warm against his chest, her hair brushing lightly against his jaw. When they finally separated, they both sat down."So," she