After her rebirth

Katniss kept quiet.

She didn't know much about Byron, but from his fancy clothes and big spending, he seemed loaded or high up the social ladder.

Cecilia's family was pretty well-off too. Even if they weren't the top dogs in the Thorne family, they were still a big deal in Luminous City, way above the average Joe. The Thorne family didn't object, so they must be cool with it.

In her past life, Katniss would have told Cecilia to go for what she wanted, to avoid any regrets!

But now, she admired Cecilia's resolve in moving on. A guy loving another girl was as gross as a piece of trash stinky and annoying.

Katniss poked Cecilia's cheek. "Yeah, don't be dumb enough to like a guy who's already into someone else. Just move on, the next one will be better."

A teenage crush should be like a quick, bright firework. When she met someone really worth it, she would forget about this.

Cecilia looked at Katniss, surprised, then pouted. "If you can control your feelings, it means they're not deep enough! Byron likes Ashley now. If I confess my feelings to him, we might not even be friends anymore. Byron, to me, is just someone to admire from a distance."

"But I heard Ashley has a boyfriend. Byron was about to give up after being down for a while, but when something happened to Ashley's family last time, he helped out a lot and got close to her again."

Katniss glanced at her and laughed, "So Byron's a love wrecker? Find someone with better morals."

Cecilia mumbled and didn't say anything else.

She was trying, but hadn't succeeded yet.

Suddenly, Katniss felt her phone buzz. There was a new message.

She opened it and saw it was from Maximilian.

[When does the event end?]

Katniss's heart skipped a beat. Did Maximilian know?

She had forgotten that Conrad was constantly watching over and safeguarding her. Since she came here, Maximilian would definitely find out soon after.

Katniss stood up nervously, told Cecilia she was stepping out, and then jogged out with her phone, making a call.

The call connected quickly, and Katniss hurriedly explained, "Maximilian, I didn't plan to come, but my friend insisted. I plan to leave by eight and go home to read."

On the other end, Maximilian chuckled lightly, "I'm not blaming you. It's just that the place is packed with all kinds of people. Be careful, and call Conrad if you need anything. I'll pick you up when it ends." Bars in the early 2000s were wild, with a mixed crowd.

There were many cases of girls getting into trouble.

It wasn't like a decade later when people were more open-minded. Many older folks even thought that girls who went to bars were all bad news.

Of course, Katniss understood Maximilian's concern, so she obediently said, "I'll wish the birthday person a happy birthday and leave in about half an hour." Maximilian replied calmly, "Okay."

Outside the bar, in the car.

Conrad looked at Maximilian's serious face through the rearview mirror and asked, confused, "Why didn't you tell Mrs. Hamilton that you're already here?" Conrad didn't get it. Since he was already here, why wait in the car?

Maximilian's dark eyes lowered, glancing at the now dark phone screen, "Maybe later."

Maximilian's tone was low and indifferent.

Conrad was even more confused. Later for what?

After the call, Katniss felt a lot more at ease and turned to head back.

As soon as she turned, Katniss stopped, looking calmly and indifferently at the scene in front of her.

A whale-like obese man was groping a frail girl, his hands already under her skirt, eager to have sex with her right there.

Even though the light was dim and only half of the girl's face was visible, Katniss still recognized her.

It was Laura.

Laura turned her head, her eyes meeting Katniss's. Laura's already pale face turned even paler, filled with a sense of hopeless despair.

That look was like someone clinging to the edge of an abyss, a gust of wind away from falling into the depths.

Katniss's eyes were cold. After a glance, she put away her phone and continued walking back to the private room.

Laura's eyelashes trembled, and her skinny arms suddenly pushed the fat man off her.

She hugged herself, wishing she were dead.

The fat man's small eyes turned vicious, grabbing Laura's hair and slapping her.

"Playing hard to get now? Do you know how much I paid for you?"

The private room was still lively. Several were already drunk, acting wildly, holding microphones and howling, their singing unbearable. Cecilia was engrossed in playing dice.

Byron had returned but seemed in a bad mood, sitting next to Cecil, drinking heavily with a sullen face.

Katniss glanced around, then set a timer for herself. Fine, she'd leave in twenty minutes.

Byron was so drunk that it was hard to say if he would be conscious in half an hour.

Seeing Katniss return, Cecilia finished her game and walked to the door to say something to the waiter, then came back.

She linked arms with Katniss. "What were you doing just now?"

"Making a call," Katniss replied.

"To whom? You looked so nervous. Your parents?"

Katniss calmly said, "My husband."

Cecilia's pupils widened in shock, then she laughed, "Oh, you mean your boyfriend, right? Is he a looker? How does he stack up against Cecil? How old is he? Is he from our school?" Katniss pretended to think for a moment, "Handsome! A hundred Cecils can't compare to him. He's not from our school, he's 27."

She couldn't get into Maximilian's school.

Cecil, nearby, glanced at her, his face turning even sourer.

Then he kicked Byron, "Piss off, you're dirty."

Byron looked aggrieved. "Cecil, it's my birthday today. Is this how you treat me? Can't you be nicer?"

"Keep whining, and I'll leave," Cecil said irritably.

Byron felt stifled but didn't dare to speak.

Cecilia was stunned for a long time. No way, someone a hundred times more handsome than Cecil? She blinked. "Are you joking?"

Cecil was the heartthrob of the medical school. Anyone who saw his face would call him handsome, and many girls were infatuated with him.

Could there really be someone a hundred times more handsome than Cecil?

"No, I'm serious," Katniss said sternly. She wouldn't allow anyone to doubt Maximilian.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a waiter pushed in a two-tiered cake.

Through the open door, Katniss vaguely saw the scene downstairs. She smiled slightly, 'things are getting interesting.'

Lights flashed in the bustling bar.

Desmond's handsome face was covered in frost as he pulled Laura behind him, holding a bottle in one hand and pointing at the fat man. "She said no, are you fucking deaf?"