Olivia Carter thought of the lively and cheerful atmosphere at home, and for some reason felt that Sarah Young's words made a lot of sense. Ethan Carter did seem to hold a lot of weight in the family—even before arriving, his status was already apparent. She lowered her head a little uneasily and hesitated, “Is there really no way?”

Sarah Young thought for a moment, then said helplessly, “Not for now, just bear with it. You’re already so smart now, I’m sure you’ll do well in the college entrance exam. When the time comes, pick a university far from home—the farther you escape, the better.”

Olivia Carter: “Sarah Young jie, are you going to run away too?”

Sarah Young nodded, “Yes, I definitely won’t give up on studying. When the time comes, I’ll apply to a university in the south.”

Olivia Carter didn’t stay long at the security dormitory. After failing to get help, she said goodbye to Sarah Young. When she got home, she was a bit downcast—partly troubled by her cheap brother, feeling anxious and uneasy; partly because she realized Sarah Young would leave sooner or later, which made her inexplicably sad.

Olivia Carter held her iPad, but had completely lost her usual enthusiasm for studying, and had no interest in clicking on any foreign language videos.

On the other side, Ethan Carter was sitting in the nanny van. He stared at the familiar entrance of the neighborhood, sitting motionless. The agent, Brian Clark, saw that he wasn’t moving and said, “Shall we get out? We’ve arrived, haven’t we?”

There was no one else in the car. Suddenly, Ethan Carter let out a soft laugh and sighed, “Back then, I left through this gate dragging my suitcase, and my dad chased after me, cursing, telling me if I had the guts, never to come back.”

Brian Clark looked at the complicated and nostalgic expression on Ethan Carter’s face, not knowing what to say, so he just stayed silent.

“If you’ve got the guts, don’t ever come back! I’ll just pretend I never had a son like you!”

That was what eighteen-year-old Ethan Carter heard at the gate of Yurongtai. He hadn’t wanted to deal with his father chasing after him, so he got in the car with his then-agent, only wanting to chase his dream of becoming a singer. Ethan Carter still remembered the furious look on his father’s face after being left behind—his face flushed red with anger, glaring at him in the car as if he wanted to eat him alive.

Ethan Carter abandoned his studies and his family, going alone to the company to train. At that time, he was holding in a breath of anger, desperate to prove himself to his father. He wanted to stand out, to shine, to knock down the stubborn and overbearing David Carter, but instead, he was the one who fell hard first.

The company Ethan Carter joined went bankrupt not long after. With only a meager severance, he drifted in the vast city, with no platform to realize his dreams. His mother, Grace Bennett, tried to mediate, urging Ethan Carter to go back to his studies and look for a good opportunity later, but he refused.

Ethan Carter didn’t want to face David Carter in defeat, nor did he want to beg him for anything. From the moment he left home, a fire burned in his heart, making it impossible to bow his head to his father. Ethan Carter frantically searched for work, reaching out to new agencies, moving between friends’ homes or cheap rentals, stubbornly rebellious as if stuck in a teenage phase.

During that time, David Carter let go of his strict fatherly pride for the first time, humbly begging Ethan Carter to come home, even choking up with red eyes at one point. It was the first time Ethan Carter saw his father soften, but he felt no sense of victory—on the contrary, it was like being struck down. He was like a child with wild dreams, proving nothing but his own incompetence.

Ethan Carter refused his father, always feeling that if he chose to go home at that moment, he’d never have the courage to leave again. He didn’t know when he started to believe that as long as he spent his father’s money, he’d always be beneath him, unable to stand tall, with no right to ask for anything.

“What are you so angry with me about? Do you really think I’d ever harm you?”

“I just want to prove you’re wrong.”

Ethan Carter still remembered the hurt in his father’s eyes at that moment, as if he’d been deeply wounded. David Carter tried to reach out to his son a few more times after that, but Ethan Carter always avoided him, unwilling to go home or accept any financial support. Ethan Carter deliberately avoided any news from home, not even wanting to see his mother. Fortunately, he soon found a good company, and his career slowly got back on track.

To this day, Ethan Carter is extremely popular, but he still doesn’t feel like he’s defeated his father. David Carter has gradually withdrawn his prickly attitude, becoming cautious and reserved around Ethan Carter. It’s not that he’s truly impressed by his son’s achievements, but more like he’s resigned and making compromises. This is what makes Ethan Carter feel most powerless—he doesn’t even have the chance to win, as his father has simply surrendered and given up.

Yet, the worries David Carter had back then have gradually come true, still clinging to Ethan Carter like a shadow. Ethan Carter’s high school education is mocked, his not-so-outstanding singing and dancing skills are attacked by haters, and with the music market in a slump, he’s had to switch to acting. He’s achieved some results in film and television, winning an award that isn’t particularly prestigious, but still gets mocked by haters as a “Best Actor,” as if whatever he does is wrong.

Ethan Carter worked desperately outside, not even daring to contact his parents much—for years on end. He was afraid of seeing disappointment and helplessness in his family’s eyes, and even more afraid of seeing their concern and pity, which would make him feel like a complete failure.

He wanted to one day walk through the doors of Yurongtai with his head held high, but now he’s ended up here in a daze, full of confusion.

Ethan Carter stared blankly at the entrance of the neighborhood and muttered, “Why did they have a second child? Even if they wanted to start over, shouldn’t it have been five years ago?”