Countless colorful ribbons fluttered down, decorating this cold and desolate winter with a vivid and passionate scene.
Ann Vaughn’s lips slightly parted, a hint of amazement flashed in her eyes.
Hot air balloons weren’t allowed in the city, but Sutton Jennings managed to get seven of them, which must have taken a lot of effort.
"Do you like it?" Sutton handed the bouquet back to Ann, a deep smile lingering in his peach blossom eyes, along with a subtle hint of emotion.
Ann Vaughn smiled and nodded, "I really like it, Brother Shane, you went through a lot of trouble for this."
Seeing her genuine liking, Sutton finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was all worth the painstaking effort, just to give her a surprise today.
However, he couldn’t stay here for long. The Gate of Yama was being targeted recently, with innumerable tasks to handle, and he needed to rush back to take charge.
After Ann Vaughn saw him off and was about to return to the clinic, the dispenser ran up to her excitedly, saying, "Boss, you need to see what’s outside!"
"I just ran a long way to see, and all over the city center are advertisements for our clinic!"
"Oh my god, how much would that cost! Boss, I never knew you were secretly rich!"
In the city center where ads are charged by the second, burning money every moment?
Ann Vaughn tugged at the corners of her lips; she hadn’t gone mad.
But seeing how exaggerated and excited the dispenser was, curiosity got the better of her, and Ann left the clinic to see what was going on.
—— The dispenser’s description was actually understated.
Not only were there roadside billboard spots, but the screens of major shopping malls were also showing the promotional video for Vaughn Clinic.
The content of the promotional video was presented in the form of a story, from the protagonist’s childhood to adulthood, with an unwavering love for traditional medicine.
The end highlighted the origin of Vaughn Clinic and explained its mission, leaving a lasting impression.
Let alone the exquisite and unique visuals, giving a magical feeling that made it hard to look away once you started watching.
But this...isn’t it her life experience from childhood?
Ann Vaughn’s bright eyes widened slightly in disbelief as she watched the content loop on the screen.
She really could identify herbs at one year old, recognize all the traditional medicines she saw by three, and by five had read enough medical books to fill a wall.
In the promotional video, the protagonist, punished by her grandpa for playing around, recited lines while shedding tears.
"I will become a traditional medicine practitioner better than grandpa, so grandpa can stay home and copy books while I go fishing by the lake."
Even the tone was exactly the same as hers back then.
Ann felt her eyes become moist, as if time had reversed and she was back in that pastoral scene.
Just then, her phone suddenly rang in her pocket.
Ann Vaughn took it out and answered, sniffing slightly, "Hello?"
There was a pause on the other end, followed by Cyrus Hawthorne’s usual deep and magnetic voice, "Are you crying? What happened?"
"Not crying, just sand in my eyes," Ann defended, trying to make her voice sound normal, "The promotional video in the city center, did you do it?"
"Don’t you like it?" His voice seemed to tighten.
Ann shook her head, then remembered he couldn’t see, berating herself a bit.
"I love it, it’s the best promotional video I’ve ever seen!"
It’s like a beautiful memory you thought was long lost suddenly appearing in front of you one day from your mind.
Every detail, every expression, every word, was exactly the same as back then. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
It’s as if that time had never been far away, leaving Ann deeply moved, her emotions almost uncontrollable.
"Quinn, how do you know so much about my childhood? I never mentioned any of this to you." Ann’s eyes were slightly red, her voice tinged with a nasal quality.
"Heard bits from your grandpa once, pieced it together half guessing," Cyrus replied.
Piecing together half-guessing could almost recreate the past situation?
Ann pressed her rosy lips, unsure whether to admire his memory or imagination.
"It’s cold outside, don’t stay too long." After a moment, Cyrus cautioned in a deep voice.
"How do you know I’m outside?" Ann wondered, then looked around, "Are you nearby?"
Cyrus seemed helpless, a hint of laughter in his magnetic voice, "The wind."
"...Oh." Ann instantly deflated a bit, losing some of her spirit.
But she still listened to him and turned back to the little clinic.
She didn’t say more, and Cyrus on the other end didn’t hang up the call.
Breath sounds faintly intertwined through the screen, bringing a hint of warmth even to this cold and dry winter day.
As soon as Ann returned to the clinic, Sherry eagerly pulled her towards the backyard.
"You’ll know when you see it!" Sherry’s voice barely concealed her excitement.
Ann rarely saw Sherry so uncomposed and quickened her pace to the backyard.
She was greeted by a delightful sight of medicinal herbs planted in the patch Ann had marked out, the quantity so considerable it practically dazzled her eyes.
Her little sweetheart!
"Just delivered, the soil has also been replaced, claimed to be more suitable for growing herbs," Sherry said, almost bursting with joy, "I roughly estimated, the medicinal herbs here alone are worth at least five million, likely even more."
The higher the medicinal value, the more it would aid Ann in her extract preparations.
Ann drew in a sharp breath, softly asking Cyrus on the still-open call, "How did you move the herb garden from your villa here?"
Heaven knows how long she’d been coveting that herb garden, restraining herself with great effort from plucking it bald.
Not for any reason other than that the herb garden was so costly it was beyond her imagination.
"It was meant for you; sending it now isn’t too late," Cyrus replied calmly after a two-second pause.
A flash of surprise crossed Ann’s bright eyes; when she just returned home, accidentally trapped in his villa pretending to be a maid, she had heard from other servants.
That herb garden was personally cultivated by Cyrus, who tended it whenever he had time.
It started as a small area and expanded into a whole garden over two-plus years.
Thinking of this, Ann pressed her chest, trying to suppress the fluttering inside, but it was no use.
"You’re spoiling me," Ann’s eyes softened unconsciously, her tone carrying a hint of sulky affection unnoticed by herself.
He would indeed spoil her.
If someday she became used to being pampered and protected this way, and he suddenly withdrew...
Then the disappointment and void she would have to bear would be doubled.