Ethan Sutton said, "Understood, I'll make sure to leave more time for—"

A sudden, jarring ringtone sounded.

Ethan Sutton patted his pants pocket but couldn't find his phone. He looked around the sofa, then finally fished the source of the ringtone out from a pile of documents.

"Hello."

He sat up a bit straighter as he answered the call. "Mm, I'll be there right—"

He suddenly paused, glanced at William Brooks, then said, "I'll stay with Edward Sutton and help with homework for a bit before coming over."

As soon as he finished speaking, he hung up.

William Brooks looked a bit more satisfied.

But she also knew that Ethan Sutton would probably be busy soon, so she stood up and said, "Then I won't bother you any longer today. If anything comes up, let's keep in touch."

"Alright."

Ethan Sutton stood up with William Brooks. "Thank you—"

He suddenly got stuck again.

It was obvious—he'd forgotten her last name.

Did he really have no impression of her at all?

"My name is William Brooks." William Brooks looked at Ethan Sutton, enunciating each word, "祝 as in blessing, 温 as in warmth, 书 as in book."

Ethan Sutton finally showed a different reaction.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze gradually focusing, settling on William Brooks's face.

After all, the person in front of him was a hugely popular celebrity.

Being looked at like that by him, William Brooks felt a bit nervous, her fingers unconsciously clutching her skirt.

He must... remember her now, right?

Besides, even if she and Ethan Sutton hadn't interacted much in high school, it shouldn't be to the point where he forgot her completely.

Just last year, she ran into a classmate from the neighboring class in middle school, and that person recognized her at a glance.

Ethan Sutton: "Your name..."

William Brooks stared at him, blinking her big eyes, encouraging him with her gaze.

—Yes, that's the name.

—Think carefully.

—Do you remember anything?

Ethan Sutton: "It's quite a nice name."

William Brooks: "...Thank you."

Ethan Sutton tilted his head, looked at William Brooks from another angle, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Same name as a high school classmate of mine."

After two seconds of silence, William Brooks let out a breath and met his gaze calmly.

"Have you ever thought..."

"Maybe..."

"I'm that high school classmate of yours?"

Chapter 3

The next morning, the air still carried the fresh scent of rain, but the temperature was noticeably higher than before.

The autumn heat arrived right on schedule. When William Brooks left home, she changed into a summer shirt dress again, but it still felt a bit stuffy.

She hadn't slept well last night and got up a bit late today, barely making it to school on time.

When she passed by the classroom door, most of the students had already arrived.

The first class was English. William Brooks didn't say anything, just stood by the window to take a look.

Dozens of kids were running around, and Edward Sutton, dressed in a British-style suit, stood out among them.

He seemed to be in a particularly good mood, holding a pile of snacks and sharing them with his classmates.

Watching Edward Sutton bouncing around, William Brooks still felt a bit dazed.

From last night until now, she still couldn't figure out how she, just going for an ordinary home visit, ended up stumbling upon a superstar's shocking secret.

And that superstar happened to be her high school classmate for three years.

Thinking of this, William Brooks gave a self-deprecating smile.

She remembered last night, when she had to spell out her name one character at a time before Ethan Sutton barely remembered her.

And it was obvious he didn't have any special memories of her—the two of them awkwardly exchanged pleasantries for a while without getting anywhere.

How the tables have turned.

Back then, Ethan Sutton was unremarkable, while William Brooks was popular at school.

Now Ethan Sutton is a huge star, and William Brooks herself has become just an ordinary person.

Someone in the class saw William Brooks and called out. The classroom instantly fell silent, and everyone rushed to their seats.

Edward Sutton also turned to look at her, meeting William Brooks's gaze and giving her a smile.

Only then did William Brooks snap out of it. She waved at him, calling him over to the hallway outside the classroom.

She bent down and patted Edward Sutton's head.

"So? After the teacher left yesterday, did your dad scold you?"

"No, no." Edward Sutton grinned, showing two dimples. "Dad even brought me to school today!"

"What?"

William Brooks instinctively turned to look toward the school gate.

It was early morning, but during school hours, parents were coming and going outside the school.

Ethan Sutton really was bold—wasn't he afraid of being recognized?

"Really!" Edward Sutton said. "He even got up early to make me breakfast!"

Looks like her talk with him last night had some effect.

She just didn't know how long it would last.

"Alright, the teacher knows. Go back to the classroom and get ready for class."

Back in the office, the bell for the first class was just ringing.

William Brooks opened the pile of homework on her desk, ready to start grading, when a woman's voice suddenly sounded behind her.

"Ms. Zhu, you don't have class right now, do you?"

William Brooks turned around and saw a woman in her thirties standing at the door, looking somewhat unfamiliar.