【Spread the word, Ethan Sutton has finished writing his new song, and the new album will be released tomorrow!】

【Spread the word, Ethan Sutton has finished writing his new song, and the new album will be released tomorrow!】

William Brooks: "......"

Oh.

So he was answering a fan's question.

She thought, how could Ethan Sutton possibly see her message among the endless barrage of comments.

After this wave of spamming, a fan with a name that had a halo effect in the chat started a new round of spamming.

【May I ask, when you write songs, do you cut yourself off from the world—disappear, with no water, no electricity, and no internet?】

This fan seemed sarcastic, but was actually complaining that Ethan Sutton hadn't appeared in public for too long.

But Ethan Sutton, whether he truly didn't get it or was just pretending, took a sip of water, leaned back on the sofa, and said seriously, "I don't cut off contact. I do reduce socializing, but I still check messages when I have time."

William Brooks: "......"

She let out a cold laugh in front of the screen, then started typing furiously.

【zws who loves oranges: So you read them but don't reply, right?】

After sending it, she folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, continuing to glare coldly at the man on the screen.

At this moment, Ethan Sutton, who had been looking down at the chat, suddenly focused his gaze for a few seconds, as if he was thinking about something.

Then he patted his pants pocket, found it empty, and turned to glance at the dining table behind the sofa.

"Wait a moment."

He whispered to the camera, then got up and walked toward the dining table.

As his figure gradually moved away from the camera, Emily Bolton scooted to the center of the sofa with a big smile, taking up most of the screen, leaving only a blurry figure in the distance.

William Brooks lost interest as well, feeling like a monk lecturing a priest—really meddling too much.

Other teachers catch students skipping class; she's here to catch the parents.

So pointless.

She yawned, straightened up, and got ready to turn off her phone and take a shower.

Just then, a new message popped up on her phone.

William Brooks tapped it casually, and the screen immediately switched to WeChat.

【c: All the homework is done.】

"...?"

William Brooks's back suddenly stiffened.

She stared straight at the chat box, then inexplicably glanced around the room.

With a slightly wary look, she held her phone at arm's length and tapped the screen to switch back to the livestream.

On the screen, she could vaguely see Ethan Sutton leaning against the sideboard, back slightly hunched, head down, holding his phone in front of his chest.

A textbook phone-using posture.

No... way... right...?

Could it be that Ethan Sutton not only saw her comment, but also recognized her right away?

Are his eyes diamond-level or something?

After a few seconds of internal struggle, William Brooks patted her head and told herself it was just a coincidence, absolutely impossible.

Ethan Sutton must have just happened to think of her message at that exact moment.

Yes, that's it.

【William Brooks: Okay, as long as it's done.】

But even after convincing herself, when replying to Ethan Sutton's message, William Brooks still felt a bit guilty and added another line.

【William Brooks: I was mainly worried you'd be too busy and forget, so I came to remind you.】

【William Brooks: Edward Sutton has trouble focusing—did you watch him do his homework?】

【c: I did.】

She was almost furious.

Ethan Sutton thought blandly.

【William Brooks: Alright, then you go on with your work.】

【c: Okay.】

-

That night, William Brooks had a nightmare.

She dreamed that many, many years later, she was still Edward Sutton's teacher.

She was on her way to the juvenile detention center to visit the detained Edward Sutton.

She followed the guard through a maze of corridors, finally stopping outside a dark, damp iron door.

Soon, the sound of chains clanking came from inside.

William Brooks jerked her head up and, through the barred window, saw that familiar face and cried out in shock.

"Ethan Sutton?!"

That shout woke her up.

In the cool early autumn, William Brooks opened her eyes, drenched in sweat, staring blankly at the ceiling, caught in a half-awake, half-asleep daze.

After about ten minutes, her thoughts returned, and she slowly turned her head to look at the clock.

Crap!

It's 7:20!

No time to think about that ridiculous dream, William Brooks scrambled out of bed, splashed some water on her face, grabbed her bag, and dashed out the door.

Luckily, she lived close to the school and made it just in time, so it wasn't too bad.

When she sat down in the office, the group leaders had already collected and placed the homework on her desk.

William Brooks caught her breath, stared at the stack of notebooks and sighed, then took out a small mirror to fix her messy hair, getting ready for class.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

William Brooks turned around and saw Edward Sutton clinging to the doorframe, not daring to come in.

"What's wrong?"

William Brooks asked, "Class is about to start, why aren't you in the classroom?"

Edward Sutton raised his arm, using his notebook to cover half his face, and trotted over.

"Teacher, I just got to school and came to hand in my homework."

"Why are you so late today?"

William Brooks smiled and asked, "Overslept?"

"I had diarrhea this morning..."

"Are you feeling better?"