A handsome man and a beautiful woman were an eye-catching combination no matter where they went, and they were also far more likely to run into all sorts of unusual situations.
It was just like those street interviews from short-video platforms in his previous life. Nobody wanted to watch an interviewer stop some ugly guy on the street. If you wanted ratings, you naturally had to pick attractive passersby.
Tom and Fleur were already impossible to miss just standing there.
Tom looked like a young man who had stepped straight out of mythology, handsome enough that women passing by couldn't help sneaking a second glance.
If a pair like that wasn't stopped for an interview, the TV station might as well have been wasting its monthly payroll.
When Tom agreed, the female reporter's smile became even more genuine. She quickly straightened herself up, and when the indicator light on the camera came on, she put on her professional broadcast smile.
"Sir, I noticed that you two came from over there. You must have run into the protest march, right?" As she spoke, she stepped half a pace to the side so the camera could capture both of them.
Tom nodded. "That's right. We saw them."
"And what do you think about it?" The reporter asked the question expectantly.
"Thoughts...?"
Tom pondered for a moment, as though seriously considering the matter. Finally, he gave his answer. "Pretty lively."
"Lively?"
The smile on the reporter's face froze.
His answer had completely caught her off guard. The carefully prepared lines she had planned to use suddenly became impossible to work into the conversation.
"Just lively? What do you think about the wizards they're protesting against? Do you believe wizards really exist?" The reporter said the next prepared line.
"They definitely exist."
Tom's answer was completely certain, and Fleur looked at him in surprise.
The reporter became excited. "Sir, how can you be so certain? Have you actually seen any of these... special people?"
"No." Tom shook his head. "I think people in this world are all pretty ordinary. There aren't really any particularly special beings."
Fleur pressed her lips tightly together.
The corners of her mouth twitched upward, but she quickly forced them back down.
She had almost burst out laughing. She hurriedly lowered her head and covered her mouth with one hand.
Fortunately, the reporter's attention was completely focused on Tom and she didn't notice Fleur's little reaction.
There was nothing wrong with what Tom had said.
Compared with him, even Aurors were probably just old men who knew a few magic tricks.
And if even they counted as ordinary, then what did that make everyone else?
Wait. That included herself too, didn't it?
The corners of Fleur's mouth immediately drooped again.
What was that supposed to mean?
She was so beautiful! How could he possibly call her ordinary?
The reporter, meanwhile, was getting thoroughly confused. "If you haven't actually seen one, then why are you so certain that wizards exist?"
"Isn't it obvious? People in America are constantly talking about UFOs and flying saucers. They even say there's a place called Area 51 where they study alien life. If aliens can exist, then why wouldn't wizards and even gods exist too? Isn't that perfectly reasonable?" Tom spoke with absolute conviction.
Obviously.
He had personally seen wizards and gods, and there were even two of them living in his own home. If he wasn't certain, who was?
The reporter opened and closed her mouth.
She felt like this interview had been abnormal from the very beginning.
Nothing was going according to her script.
"So would you support the people in the protest? Would you agree that wizards should be driven out and these abnormal beings eliminated?"
"No." Tom shook his head honestly.
The reporter had already gone numb. "Why?"
"Because I don't think that's something I should be worrying about. And it's not something ordinary people should be worrying about either."
Tom began counting off his points. "Have you paid off your mortgage? Do you remember when the bank takes your monthly payment? Is your car loan fully paid off? What about car insurance, health insurance, retirement contributions, phone bills, living expenses, all kinds of miscellaneous fees, property management fees... Have you earned enough money to cover all of that?"
"Good. If you've taken care of all those things, do you have children? If you do, will you need to take out student loans when they go to university? And if something happens to your job, do you have enough savings to support yourself for three months?"
"If you haven't even solved those problems, then whether wizards exist or not really has nothing to do with you."
"So my advice is this: if your own life isn't going particularly well, stop worrying about these trivial matters. Figure out how to take care of yourself first."
"Please stop, sir. Stop." The reporter's expression gradually twisted into one of genuine pain as she muttered to herself.
Fleur was staring at Tom in utter disbelief.
Tom, meanwhile, was secretly laughing.
This was nothing.
He had originally planned to use the opportunity to introduce the concept of a financial breaking point and really give them something to think about. A sudden job loss, a major medical bill, or an unexpected accident could be enough to push someone into homelessness.
He had barely listed a few examples, and she was already about to break.
Having grown up in Britain from childhood, Tom understood even better just how ruthless capitalism could be.
Yes, the welfare systems in Europe and America were indeed far more developed than those in many other parts of the world.
But that didn't mean ordinary people could simply enjoy all those benefits without conditions.
If you wanted a substantial pension, you generally had to make it through an entire career. You couldn't spend years unemployed, go bankrupt, commit crimes, or even get divorced.
Only after surviving all trials could you finally qualify to enjoy those generous benefits.
Only those old men and women dancing in public squares were the ones who truly had both money and free time.
The population base was completely different, after all.
So Tom's little speech had struck the reporter directly in the most vulnerable part of her soul.
And it wasn't just her. Even the bearded cameraman's hands had started trembling.
He suddenly remembered the mortgage payment that would be deducted from his account tomorrow.
Then he remembered the credit card that was about to be maxed out.
Then there was his second daughter's birthday next week, and the expensive toy he had promised to buy, not to mention the birthday party.
A wave of despair washed over him.
The cameraman almost burst into tears right there on the street.
"Sir, your words have certainly given us something to think about. Thank you very much for accepting our interview." The reporter forced a smile as she thanked him, then fled with the cameraman.
The two of them didn't stop until they had run a considerable distance away.
They looked at each other.
"I honestly can't believe words that cold came out of someone who looks like that," the reporter complained.
"That was brutal." The bearded cameraman looked utterly miserable. "Delete the footage. And if you can figure out how to delete it from my memory too, I'd appreciate that."
"No. We can't delete it." The reporter immediately shook her head.
The cameraman stared at her as though she'd lost her mind. "Mona, what are you planning to do? You don't seriously want to go back and listen to all that soul-crushing stuff again, do you?"
"Of course not. I'm not a masochist." The reporter rolled her eyes.
"But as painful as it was, he really did offer a completely different perspective. Besides..." She muttered thoughtfully. "Why should the two of us be the only ones suffering? We have to broadcast this interview. Let the viewers get emotionally stabbed too."
The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
She had nearly broken down in the middle of the street.
Why should the audience sitting comfortably at home get to escape?
If everyone was going to suffer, they might as well suffer together.
The cameraman froze for a moment, then nodded firmly. "That's right. Broadcast it. Absolutely broadcast it."
...
..
"Pff—Hahahaha!"
Fleur was already laughing so hard she could barely stand upright.
"Tom, did you see them? They looked so miserable when they left!"
"And everyone around us had these awful expressions after hearing what you said. They looked like they'd just eaten ten pounds of spinach."
Tom blinked innocently. "What? Did I say anything wrong? Everything I said is just the reality they have to deal with."
"Fine, you're the smartest person in the world."
Fleur was delighted. She linked her arm through Tom's and walked with him into the shop they had chosen.
After that, their date went surprisingly smoothly.
They bought a few things, and then Tom picked a restaurant that looked pretty good for lunch.
He had to admit that France really was a paradise for food, and some of the dishes were genuinely delicious.
The problem was the dining etiquette.
It was far too complicated.
Everything had to be served in a specific order, one course at a time, and the wait between courses was painfully long.
Their lunch took nearly two hours.
Every dish was beautifully prepared, and the food really did taste good.
The problem was that there were only a few bites in each course.
It got his appetite going, but every time he finished one plate, he had to wait forever for the next.
It was like being teased by a woman who had no intention of actually committing. You were left hanging the entire time.
When he went in, his stomach had been empty. When he came out, it was basically still empty.
He hadn't even remotely had enough to eat.
Fortunately, Fleur knew Tom well.
As soon as they left the restaurant, the two of them headed straight for a street food cart and grabbed some escargot and foie gras burgers.
That finally filled Tom up.
Fleur had insisted that she had just eaten lunch. But the moment the foie gras burger arrived, she still took half of it for herself.
Tom gave her a look.
She immediately defended herself with complete righteousness. "I'm only helping you taste it."
It was ridiculous, yet somehow quietly heartwarming.
Honestly, this was probably the best kind of relationship between two people.
I understand what you consider romantic, and you understand my habits.
When two people understand each other and naturally think about one another, there isn't much room for serious conflict.
Even the occasional little argument can become part of growing closer.
The only unfortunate thing was... there were quite a few people Tom had to take care of.
Still, Fleur was already more than satisfied with her life as it was. After all, she'd simply had the incredible misfortune of meeting someone as exceptional as Tom at such a young age.
Asking her to go and fall for someone else now?
That was simply impossible. And, realistically, it wasn't going to happen.
.
.
.