Ethan Carter felt a huge relief after laughing, and his interest in Olivia Carter grew even stronger. The little one was like a blank sheet of paper—he didn’t have to worry about what he said to her, and he could never guess how she would respond next. He continued trying to get the little thing’s attention, but she guarded herself strictly, clearly determined not to pay him any more mind.

Ethan Carter felt a bit regretful and thought it was because of the iPad in her hands, so he immediately called out to his mother, “Mom, Olivia Bennett keeps staring at the screen. Isn’t it bad for her eyes to look at electronics for so long?”

Grace Bennett heard his voice and reacted right away, frowning as she said, “Olivia Bennett, how long have you been watching today? Didn’t you promise me you’d only watch for a certain number of hours each day?”

Olivia Carter’s little face scrunched up in reluctance as she put down the iPad, clearly unwilling. She had timed it so she could watch cartoons while the family was busy helping Ethan Carter tidy up his room, but she hadn’t expected to get caught. Olivia Carter shot a glare at the tattletale, then picked up a children’s book, still ignoring Ethan Carter.

Seeing her little head almost buried in the book, Ethan Carter reached out to correct her poor reading posture, patting her on the back: “Don’t read like that, lift your head up a bit.”

Olivia Carter scooted away in annoyance, showing no intention of lifting her head, her whole demeanor radiating “Ugh, don’t touch me, you’re driving me crazy.”

Ethan Carter noticed the little one was completely ignoring him, so he tried the same trick again: “Mom—”

This time, Olivia Carter was so angry she jumped up, standing on the living room sofa, tossing the book aside, and reaching out to cover Ethan Carter’s mouth, shouting, “You’re not allowed to call out!”

Ethan Carter found her flustered reaction amusing. He blocked her little hands with one of his own, even more gleefully saying, “Mom—”

Olivia Carter was about to lose her mind, so she used her little foot, stepping on Ethan Carter’s thigh to try to stop him. She was small and light, unable to hurt an adult, but Ethan Carter suddenly cried out in pain, clutching his abdomen and collapsing onto the sofa as if he’d taken a sharp breath, lying there for a long time without getting up.

Olivia Carter stared in surprise, completely confused about what was happening. She was sure she hadn’t hurt him—when she used to roughhouse with Dad, he was never knocked down so easily.

Olivia Carter observed him seriously for a while, then said with dissatisfaction, “Stop pretending.”

Olivia Carter: How can someone fake an injury so blatantly?

Ethan Carter said in a low voice, “I’m not, you stepped on my waist. I have an old injury there…”

Ethan Carter lay stiffly on the sofa, suddenly unsure where his hand was, so he secretly moved his palm toward his waist, trying to make his acting more convincing.

Olivia Carter was half-convinced, half-skeptical, retorting, “Liar, you were fine just now. And if you’re injured, why don’t you get it treated?”

Ethan Carter made something up on the spot: “I don’t have money for treatment. Old injuries are hard to heal…”

Olivia Carter: “Aren’t you a big star? How could you not have money?”

Ethan Carter immediately blamed Brian Clark, swearing, “I only look rich. Actually, all the money gets taken by my agent and the company. I barely have any left for myself…”

Olivia Carter fell silent, gradually convinced by what he said. After all, Ethan Carter didn’t seem very bright—he could only do simple manual work, so it made sense for the company to take a big cut. Sarah Young jie-jie said that with just a high school diploma, it’s hard to get by in society, so she had to work hard to get into college. Ethan Carter wasn’t even as smart as Sarah Young jie-jie, so he probably didn’t make much money.

Ethan Carter lay on the sofa, groaning in pain, showing off his impressive acting skills. He even worked up his emotions, pitifully saying, “When I first went out, I could only live in a basement. I had to pay for my own work travel, and every day I could only afford two yuan’s worth of boiled vegetables…”

“I even had a high fever not long ago, lost my voice, and still had to work through the night while sick…”

Ethan Carter was practicing the Stanislavski acting method, mixing truth and fiction, almost merging actor and character into one. He’d only meant to tease the little one, but as he spoke, he started to feel sad himself—his back pain was fake, but his words were true.

For five years, Ethan Carter had avoided news from home and never wanted to mention any hardships to his parents. He always felt that if he opened up, it would mean he’d lost completely, so he kept his bitterness to himself. He’d rather his family only ever saw his glamorous side than lose face in front of them.

Ethan Carter performed with real emotion on the sofa for a long time, and even the young Olivia Carter started to believe him. She noticed his shifting emotions and felt like he really was sad and aggrieved.

Ethan Carter tried hard not to look up, but was curious about Olivia Carter’s reaction, so he peeked through a slit in his eyes—only to find the little one was already gone. There was no sign of Olivia Carter in the living room; she’d disappeared without a trace.

Ethan Carter couldn’t keep up the act anymore and sat up straight. “That little rascal…”

Just as he was about to go look for the missing little one, he saw Olivia Carter poke her head out of her room. She looked around warily, making sure the adults hadn’t noticed anything, then quickly slipped back into the living room.

With her hands behind her back, Olivia Carter hesitated for a few seconds, then handed Ethan Carter a red envelope, calmly saying, “Take this and get treated.”