Then, she spoke in disbelief.

“You… your child is already this big?!”

Ethan Sutton had been trying to push away the clinging Edward Sutton.

Hearing what William Brooks said, he stopped, his gaze flickering slightly as he looked up.

The corners of his eyes lifted, one eyebrow raised, his tone hardly friendly: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

It was like a bolt of lightning struck straight down.

It took a while before William Brooks turned her face away, at a loss for words.

“Don’t worry… I won’t say anything.”

“……”

Ethan Sutton tugged at the corner of his mouth.

William Brooks looked at him again, not even sure what kind of expression she should show.

Dad is very busy.

He never shows up at school.

He became a big celebrity.

The surname “Ling” is indeed quite rare.

It all seemed to make sense now.

Wait a minute.

She suddenly lowered her head to look at Edward Sutton.

Judging by the age…

What the hell???

William Brooks sucked in a sharp breath.

In her memory, Ethan Sutton in high school was a very withdrawn person.

He was always alone, had few friends, didn’t like to talk, and always sat in the last row.

He also had a bad temper—either silent or perfunctory.

The boys liked him even less. William Brooks occasionally overheard people talking about him behind his back, calling him a poor loser who acted all high and mighty for no reason.

Later, he would sometimes come to school with injuries, but no one knew why. Rumors spread, but he never explained.

All curiosity eventually faded. The classmates gradually got used to his isolation; no one had the patience to pry open this cold lock.

What’s more, William Brooks, who always sat in the front row because she didn’t want to wear glasses, was separated from Ethan Sutton by a long diagonal distance.

The two of them were classmates for three years, but the number of words exchanged could be counted on two hands, probably including a few “excuse me” and “thanks.”

To her, Ethan Sutton in high school was just a name, fixed on the class roster, with no other sense of presence.

So she always thought Ethan Sutton was just a good-looking, bad-tempered, otherwise unremarkable high school student.

Now it seemed she had been too hasty.

So the reason he rarely came to school in the latter part of senior year was because he became a dad??

William Brooks stood there like she’d turned to stone, motionless, just staring blankly.

Edward Sutton was still clinging tightly to Ethan Sutton, quietly turning his head, opening one eye a crack to sneak a look at William Brooks.

“Teacher… it’s already dark. If you don’t go home, your parents will worry.”

“?”

William Brooks was finally pulled back to reality by this sentence.

She lowered her eyes, her emotions swirling, but she hadn’t forgotten the main reason she came today.

“Teacher isn’t going home yet, I want to talk to you…” She really couldn’t bring herself to say the word “dad,” so she just looked directly at Ethan Sutton. “Let’s have a chat.”

Ethan Sutton acted as if he hadn’t noticed the meaningful look from William Brooks, and said carelessly, “Sure.”

This time it was Edward Sutton’s turn to be stunned.

He furrowed his brows tightly, his eyes darting around as he wondered what to do next, when the back of his head was patted.

“Go pour the teacher a glass of water.”

Sigh, he really didn’t know what to do.

Edward Sutton gave an “mm” and ran to the kitchen without even changing his shoes.

Then Ethan Sutton lifted his chin, signaling for William Brooks to follow him inside.

“Please come in.”

In this area where every inch of land is precious, Edward Sutton’s home was surprisingly large, even a duplex.

At first glance, the decor looked simple, but it was clear a lot of thought—and probably money—had gone into it.

Of course, you could also tell there was a child in the house.

The spacious living room was stuffed full of toys, so much so that it was hard to find a place to step, let alone sit on the sofa.

Ethan Sutton probably hadn’t thought about this.

He walked all the way to the living room before realizing there was nowhere to sit, paused for a moment, then turned and walked in another direction.

“Let’s go to the study.”

The study wasn’t much better than the living room.

It was just piled with all sorts of miscellaneous things instead of toys.

And there was no sign of any musical or artistic vibe—everything was full of a business atmosphere.

There were several of Ethan Sutton’s album covers hanging on the wall, and a whiteboard next to the computer desk, seemingly filled with schedules and announcements.

The only light in the room came from a floor lamp next to the sofa.

After coming in, Ethan Sutton gave the room a quick glance, then walked over to the sofa and swept all the papers on it into a corner.

Then he turned and said, “Please have a seat.”

William Brooks: “……”

She felt a bit disgusted yet curious, sitting on the edge of the sofa, hands tucked under her thighs, restraining her urge to look around the big star’s home.

Ethan Sutton was much more at ease. One hand in his pocket, he bent over the sofa, picked up a piece of paper and glanced at it, apparently not understanding what it was, tossed it aside, and then sat down.

“You’re Edward Sutton’s homeroom teacher?”

“To be precise, I’m Edward Sutton’s Chinese teacher.”

As she spoke, William Brooks stole several glances at him.