Chapter 1001: Luke, You Blockhead!

It started to get crowded a few blocks away from Times Square.

Everybody got out of the car. Robert and Catherine were wrapped around each other as they walked, while Luke carried Joseph, and Claire bounced along next to Luke as they followed the crowd.

By the time they reached the Crossroads of the World, the streets were already crowded.

Claire had seen similar situations many times when she participated in the charity concert.

On Luke’s shoulders, Joseph opened his eyes wide and looked down at the dense crowd of people. He exclaimed, “So many people.”

Everybody laughed.

Every New Year, Times Square would hold a concert so that the people who came to join the fun wouldn’t be bored as they waited.

Soon, a singer started to perform on a raised, extended platform.

Standing on tiptoe, Claire whispered in Luke’s ear, “Guess who’s performing this year?”

Luke looked at her sneaky smile and didn’t have to think. “Sheerah?”

Claire burst out laughing and couldn’t help smacking him several times. “Can’t you be a little more stupid?”

Luke said, “If I’m really that stupid, would you still love a big brother like me?”

Claire said, “I will. A little stupid is cuter.”

“You’re the cutest.” Luke chuckled.

Claire was stumped for a moment before she responded. “Ah, you’re the cutest one. No, you’re the cutest, cutest one!”

Sheerah appeared.

As a veteran diva and Batman’s rumored girlfriend, she was suddenly very popular this year.

But there were too many people who were bored. As they shouted, the chants changed from “Sheerah” to “Batman,” as if they could summon Batman this way.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have the Bat Signal, so it was wishful thinking.

Sheerah, on the other hand, calmly started her performance. She was already used to these people putting her and Batman together. It was useless for her to deny it again and again, and she could only let them kick up a fuss.

A moment later, everybody finally stopped fooling around, and started to bob their heads to the prelude.

“Cheap Thrills,” a cheerful and brainwashing dance song, was also a gift to Sheerah from Luke, for taking care of Claire.

Sheerah’s new song, which had been released a month ago, had been at the top of the charts for four weeks, and looked like it would stay there for a while.

Previously, Sheerah had relied on Batman and the popularity of the earthquake charity concert to return to the “front line.”

But with the release of this hit single that had taken first place four weeks running, the veteran diva had finally staged a comeback and sealed her explosive popularity this year.

At the end of the song, everybody was still bobbing their heads subconsciously and their bodies were still swaying, as if the magic of the music had yet to fade away.

Several seconds later, Sheerah bowed with a smile and left the stage. The cheers gradually rang out, and the most recalcitrant listeners started shouting for Batman again.

Sheerah shook her head with a smile and said something.

But the microphone in her hand was already away from her mouth, and the noise was so loud that basically nobody could hear her.

Luke, who had Elementary Sound Wave, heard half of it, and filled in the rest —”If he really comes, I’ll be happier than all of you.”

Luke could only shake his head with a smile. Batman was still in hibernation.

Also, wasn’t Batman celebrating Christmas? He was listening to Sheerah sing on the spot and celebrating the New Year with the other spectators[1]! These people didn’t know how lucky they were.

These ridiculous thoughts flashed through his mind, but he was still smiling.

These spectators were his firm supporters. If he wanted to make a mark in America and turn his popularity into high esteem, he really had to rely on them to carry the momentum.

He wasn’t in a hurry. There would be plenty of time in the future for him to slowly complete this plan.

In the warm atmosphere, the time reached 11:59 pm.

Looking at the countdown on the big digital clock, everybody started shouting, “29, 28… 10, … 3, 2, 1!”

Fireworks exploded in the sky, and the crowd cheered.

2004 had gone, 2005 had come.

…

The next morning, Claire woke up early and snuck down to the Christmas tree in the living room to open the first Christmas present.

Surreptitiously picking up a small, pink gift box, she murmured with a smile, “I wonder what kind of gift that idiot Luke prepared for me this year. I hope it isn’t some joke gift like study materials again, or I’ll definitely beat him up.”

She gently shook the gift box, but couldn’t hear anything.

Taking a deep breath, she reached out to the ribbon tied around the box.

Suddenly, she felt that something wasn’t right, and she turned around.

In an armchair a few meters away, Luke was wearing an earpiece and holding a tablet in one hand while he slowly stuffed an almond chocolate cookie into his mouth with the other.

Crack!

He bit off a piece of the cookie and chewed slowly.

Stunned for a moment, Claire suddenly jumped up and grabbed his neck. “Tell me, when did you get here? What did you hear?”

Luke nimbly fended off her attack with both hands.

Even as Claire shook him, he didn’t forget to take another bite of the cookie. He replied calmly, “I’ve been sitting here since six. So, can you explain why you think such a small box might have study materials in it?”

Claire said warily, “Because it’s small enough for a USB flash drive, and a USB flash drive is big enough for study materials to take me all the way to graduation.”

Luke was speechless. This logic was flawless.

Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Claire fired back with own question. “Why didn’t I see you when I came in? You’re definitely lying.”

“I have a special covert technique to prevent being detected,” Luke said solemnly.

Claire: “Huh?”

Luke gestured for her to sit down before he demonstrated. “See, it’s like this.”

As he spoke, he raised the cookie to his mouth very slowly and steadily, before he bit off a small piece and chewed slowly.

This time, there really wasn’t any sound at all.

Stunned for a moment, Claire asked blankly, “Are you kidding me?”

“I’m telling the truth,” said Luke. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you again.”

As he spoke, he repeated his action.

A little head popped out of the bedroom. “Luke, Claire, what are you doing?”

Luke was speechless.

Claire was speechless.

She finally snapped out of her daze, and roared in frustration, “Luke, you blockhead! Joseph saw you right away!” She started punching him.

[1] Yes, the author combined Christmas and New Year together