William Carter stood where he was, so angry his teeth ached.

At that moment, Mrs. Carter came upstairs and knocked on the door, her voice full of concern: “Yuyu, what’s wrong? Why did you suddenly go back to your room in the middle of dinner?”

William Carter composed himself, went out, and gave Mrs. Carter a smile: “It’s nothing, Mom. Let’s go back and finish eating.”

Throughout the meal, William Carter was completely distracted.

Mrs. Carter kept an eye on his mood and barely ate either. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Is it because I mentioned holding a banquet just now? Did that make you unhappy?”

William Carter stirred his porridge with the spoon, paused in surprise, then lowered his head and said, “No.”

Mrs. Carter felt terrible: “If you don’t like it, we won’t do it. It’s my fault—I forgot our precious Yuyu likes peace and quiet. From now on, I’ll help you turn down any events.”

William Carter sighed inwardly. The irritation and gloom in his heart slowly melted away under Mrs. Carter’s gentle and kind gaze.

He had thought of this as just a book, but every person in it was more than a flat character on a page—they were truly alive.

For example, the elegant lady sitting across from him, whose love and concern for her son could never be faked.

William Carter lowered his head and took a sip of porridge, his lashes long and distinct.

Both Mrs. Carter and Song Father were very busy and rarely had time to be with William Carter. Today, Mrs. Carter had postponed many meetings just to pick him up from the hospital and have dinner with him. Once he started high school, he’d probably see even less of his family. William Carter didn’t like City A; in "Gentle Control," the privileged kids in City A all acted like lunatics. Plus, for some reason, ever since he entered this book, he kept thinking of Ethan Brooks, that pitiful boy.

He swallowed his porridge.

Bits and pieces of the book’s plot came to William Carter’s mind.

Ethan Brooks was the same age as him, also on summer break from high school, but far less fortunate.

This summer, Ethan Brooks worked part-time jobs just to make ends meet, got mixed up with a gang of thugs, and was cheated out of his wages by a heartless boss. During a fight with the thugs, Ethan Brooks’s fingers were broken and never properly treated, leaving him with a lifelong injury. When he first started high school, he was bullied and never fought back, all because of his injured hand.

William Carter thought of the humiliation and abuse Ethan Brooks had suffered, and also remembered how pure and kind the boy had been at first—Ethan Brooks only got involved with the thugs because he was trying to save a girl who was about to be bullied by them.

The more he thought about it, the more upset he became.

The book "Gentle Control" really should have been called "The Tragic Life of Ethan Brooks."

Anyway, as he read it, he was both infuriated by those idiots and deeply sympathetic toward Ethan Brooks.

He only had five years in this book. He could just muddle through these 1,800 days, or maybe… change someone’s fate.

A storm of emotions surged in William Carter’s dark eyes. In the end, he set down his spoon, a trace of determination flashing across his face.

“Mom, I want to transfer schools.”

Mrs. Carter: “???”

The city where Ethan Brooks lived, Jingcheng, was William Carter’s grandmother’s hometown.

William Carter said calmly, “I want to go to Jingcheng, to stay with Grandma for a while.”

*

News of William Carter’s return had spread throughout the top circles of City A. Everyone was extremely curious about the The Third Young Master of the Carter Family who had been sick and out of sight for so long, and they were all looking forward to seeing him at the Song family banquet. Only William Carter’s older sister, Grace Carter, knew that none of them stood a chance. Because on the third day after William Carter was discharged from the hospital, he was already on a plane to Jingcheng.

His phone was blowing up with messages from his sister.

[Grace Carter:]

[Grace Carter: What’s the meaning of this? Are you targeting me? Not giving me any face? (knife)(knife)(knife)]

[Grace Carter: I just bragged to our girlfriends, promising them a glimpse of your stunning looks, and then you immediately got on a plane?]

[Grace Carter: (knife)(knife)(knife) Give me an explanation, or you’re done for]

By now, William Carter had already arrived in Jingcheng. He got off the plane and was sitting in the car on the way to his grandmother’s house.

Jingcheng was also a provincial capital—bustling and lively, but lacking the extravagance and restlessness, the neon lights and nightlife of City A.

The black sedan sped toward the city center, rows of street trees flashing by on either side.

The driver, a simple, honest man in his fifties, smiled at him: “The old lady has lived alone in Jingcheng for many years. It’s peaceful, but also lonely. When she heard you were coming, she was so happy she cooked a bunch of Jingcheng’s home-style dishes herself, and she’s been talking about it since this morning.”

William Carter replied to Grace Carter’s messages while smiling, “I’m sure Grandma’s cooking is amazing.”

The driver said, “Young master, are you going to attend Jingcheng No. 1 High School?”

William Carter: “Yes.”

The driver’s eyes lit up: “That’s great! My son goes to Jingcheng No. 1 High too. I’ll make sure that rascal looks after you at school.”

William Carter’s frail health wasn’t exactly a secret.

William Carter accepted the kindness with a gentle smile: “Thank you, Uncle.” But he didn’t think he was that delicate—this illness was just some terminal disease the author made up to kill him off. Right now, he didn’t feel sick at all; he figured he could even win a fight.

His phone was still flashing nonstop.

[William Carter: What kind of explanation do you want.]