Mr. Foster shouted irritably, "Other people's sons are still in the hospital and have to explain themselves!"

Charles Foster was still kneeling on the ground, silent.

William Carter saw that his cousin had no intention of speaking up for him, so he had no choice but to brace himself and stand up: "That's not it, Uncle, actually I am also responsible for what happened today."

He suddenly spoke, and everyone in the room was stunned, all turning to look at him.

William Carter continued, forcing himself to go on: "I was at Linshui today too. My cousin only fought with Samuel Harris because of me."

Grandma Foster's eyes widened; at her age, she simply couldn't handle this kind of shock: "Emily Carter, what were you doing at Linshui?"

In her mind, Linshui was a place full of filth and chaos.

Mr. Foster also frowned: "Emily Carter, go to bed first. You don't need to speak up for this brat. I know exactly what kind of person he is."

"No, no, it's true." William Carter hurriedly said, "Uncle, you can check the surveillance footage. It was Samuel Harris who forced me to drink. I messaged my cousin, and he came to save me, which is why he fought with Harris."

Of course, there was no surveillance footage. Samuel Harris was hiding in the private room doing those things—how could he leave any evidence? The footage must have been dealt with by them long ago.

Grandma Foster's eyes grew even wider: "What? Drinking? They forced you to drink!"

Mrs. Foster was also stunned. She was close to Mrs. Carter and knew all about how William Carter had almost died as a child because of a single drink.

The thought that her sister-in-law's son had almost gotten into trouble at her place made Mrs. Foster furious. Charles Foster's temper was probably inherited from her. Mrs. Foster snatched the board from Mr. Foster's hands: "Did you hear that! This time I'm on my son's side! Good for him! I think he didn't hit hard enough! The rotten things Samuel Harris has done in Jingcheng are no secret! Beating up a beast like that is doing justice for heaven."

Mr. Foster's initial surprise was wiped away by his wife's fierceness, and he snapped angrily, "Listen to yourself! What kind of mother talks like that?!"

"And you think you're being a good father?"

They started arguing, chaos erupting. Grandma Foster, annoyed by the commotion, slammed the table: "Go back to your rooms to argue! Your son has been kneeling on the ground for ages!"

Poor Mayor Foster, so gentle and elegant outside, was driven to the brink of a breakdown at home by these two women. He left without even eating.

Charles Foster was helped up by Mrs. Foster, and he winked at William Carter.

After dinner, William Carter still had to go back to stay at his grandmother's place.

Charles Foster drove him. In the garden outside the house, insects chirped, the night sky was clear, and the moonlight was bright.

In the car, Charles Foster couldn't hold it in and started laughing, slumping over the steering wheel: "So loyal! It was worth it for me to risk my life to stand up for you. Oh man, did you see my dad's face? Hahaha."

William Carter pulled at the corner of his mouth: "You're happy too soon. The Wang family won't let this go so easily."

Charles Foster lifted his eyelids, unconcerned: "So what if they don't? Would Samuel Harris dare let people know what he did in that private room? They wouldn't dare make this public; they'll just have to swallow the loss in silence.

He's been the crown prince of Jingcheng for so many years—he knows exactly what lines he can and can't cross, what will blow up and what won't. He's got it all figured out."

William Carter: "Mm."

At this moment, Charles Foster suddenly realized: "Samuel Harris really forced you to drink?" He'd been too hot-headed to notice at the time, but thinking back, something seemed off.

William Carter smiled: "No. I was actually about to smash him with a wine bottle."

Charles Foster: "......"

A moment later, he burst out laughing: "Good for you!"

He tilted his head, eyes full of curiosity: "How did you end up in 305? Weren't you just getting some air?"

William Carter thought for a moment, then smiled: "I guess it was fate, making me save people from danger and punish evil."

*

Just as Charles Foster said, this matter didn't cause even a ripple in Jingcheng.

For William Carter, the only impact was that Grandma Foster, still shaken, never forced him to go out again.

William Carter looked into the Wang family of Jingcheng and finally figured out where that sense of familiarity came from. In "Gentle Control," the rich second-generation who tormented Ethan Brooks in high school was the youngest son of the Wang family, David Harris. The whole family doted on him like a treasure. In Jingcheng, he could get whatever he wanted, and with a brother like Samuel Harris leading the way, David Harris started messing around with both women and men from a young age—rotten to the core.

Even in high school, his mind was full of filthy thoughts. After school, he would lock Ethan Brooks in the classroom, trying to take nude photos to threaten him. During the sports meet, he deliberately drugged his drink, wanting to humiliate Ethan Brooks in front of the whole school. During finals, he locked Ethan Brooks in the bathroom so he couldn't take the exam and win a scholarship. He even tried to sabotage the college entrance exam, hoping to ruin Ethan Brooks's life.

William Carter felt he couldn't let himself dwell on the plot of the original book—it was just asking for trouble.

On the third day of idling at home.

Grandma, afraid he'd be bored, brought over a child his age.

It was the son of the driver who had picked him up from the airport that day—a skinny, tanned boy named Jack Morgan.

Jack Morgan had apparently heard something from his dad. At first, he spoke to William Carter in a voice as soft as a mosquito, as if raising his volume would land him in the hospital. It wasn't until William Carter finally lost patience and warned him that he changed.

Jack Morgan and Ethan Brooks turned out to be classmates in junior high.