William Carter wanted to learn a bit more about Ethan Brooks, so he chatted with him: “That Ethan Brooks in your class, what was he like in middle school?”

Jack Morgan widened his eyes, looking a bit silly: “Young master, why are you asking about this?”

William Carter didn’t like that title: “Don’t call me young master. If you really admire me from the bottom of your heart, just call me Brother Yu!”

Jack Morgan scratched his head: “Okay, young master—ah, no, okay, Brother Yu. Why are you asking about Ethan Brooks?”

William Carter was momentarily speechless, but then had a flash of inspiration: “Isn’t he the one who got first place in the Jingcheng high school entrance exam? He’s got good grades. I want to spar with him a bit—know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll never lose a hundred battles.”

Jack Morgan immediately looked respectful. Although he didn’t know how you could spar over grades, he still honestly told William Carter everything he knew.

“As for Ethan Brooks, I actually think he’s kind of pitiful. His family must be really poor—he can wear the same clothes for three years, keeps wearing them even when they’re faded white. He’s really withdrawn, hardly anyone dares to get close to him, and after three years he didn’t have a single friend.”

“At first, there were people who tried to get close to him. After all, he’s good-looking and has good grades, so being friends with him wouldn’t be a loss. But there was someone in our class who lived in the same neighborhood as Ethan Brooks, and they’d always talk behind our backs about his mom, saying she died by jumping off a building after getting AIDS, and that AIDS can be passed from mother to child, so Ethan Brooks probably has it too. After that, everyone in class was scared of him. Anyway, Ethan Brooks never took the initiative to talk to anyone, so over time, he just became invisible in class.”

“Everyone deliberately ignored him, even the teachers. In all three years of middle school, I never heard Ethan Brooks say much of anything.”

“He often slept in class. I heard people say he didn’t study at home either, just worked part-time at a restaurant. There was a group of troublemakers in our class who found out where he worked and all went there together to make things hard for him, loudly talking about AIDS and getting him fired. Ethan Brooks didn’t say a word, just bottled it up. One time, I was coming back from an internet café and saw Ethan Brooks covered in blood, holding onto a pole and throwing up.”

“He…” Jack Morgan sighed, “He probably started hanging out with some gangsters outside of school, helping them fight for money. But that money is earned with your life.”

The more William Carter listened, the colder his expression became, eyes down as he played with his phone.

Jack Morgan looked up at the sky and continued, “Of course, I think those people are full of crap. AIDS isn’t something you can just joke about. They were way out of line. I thought about helping Ethan Brooks, but he’s just too cold and hard to approach. If you say something to him, it takes half a day to get a reply. I guess he doesn’t want to bother with us either.”

Suddenly, William Carter remembered last night, the boy’s final hoarse “thank you.”

He let out a cold laugh, switched his phone to the navigation page, and entered the address Ethan Brooks had given.

William Carter: “It’s not that he’s hard to approach.” It’s that his environment growing up was so harsh, he never felt a bit of warmth, and when faced with kindness and gentleness, he’s at a loss.

Jack Morgan: “Huh?”

William Carter jumped off the bed. “I’m heading out for a bit. Just tell my grandma I went to buy some books.”

Jack Morgan: “???”

William Carter paused, then made up a reason: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I’m going to buy some Jingcheng textbooks to get a head start.”

Jack Morgan: “……”

Are all rich kids these days this hardworking?

Chapter 7: Quarrel

[Yu Yu, are you okay? How did something happen as soon as you got to Jingcheng? Maybe you should come back to A City. Mom just can’t help but worry about you being there alone.]

William Carter sat in the taxi, looking at the message from Mrs. Carter. He thought for a moment, then replied.

[No, Grandma is taking great care of me. This time it was just me being willful. I’m sorry, Mom.]

He waited a long time with no reply—Mrs. Carter was probably busy.

William Carter switched the screen to the navigation map.

Jingcheng in July was hot and dry, the cicadas’ cries hoarse and relentless.

After getting out of the taxi, William Carter looked around at his surroundings and walked along the shady side.

This little alley was short enough to see the end, with scattered vegetable leaves on the ground—probably a market in the morning. The buildings along the street were old, with blackened walls and peeling plaster. The utility poles were plastered with all kinds of “big reward for having a child” ads, and someone’s spit was smeared on the flyers scattered on the ground. There were hardly any cars along the way; most of what he heard was women arguing.

Oppressive, poor, noisy—this was where Ethan Brooks had lived all his life.

William Carter walked past the alley and reached a regular street.

He guessed Ethan Brooks was working now, so he walked along the street.

He found Ethan Brooks in front of a small restaurant, but it seemed something had happened.

A crowd had gathered on the street.

In the center was a fallen bicycle, potatoes and peppers scattered everywhere. Ethan Brooks was crouched down silently picking up the vegetables, while a woman stood nearby with a child, cursing loudly.

“My child and I were just walking down the street, and he came riding his bike and crashed right into us. This wicked brat did it on purpose! My child is so little—was he trying to kill him?”

“That bike almost hit my kid! Is he blind? He did it on purpose!”

“What did my family do to deserve this, running into her and her mother?”