It is said that his mother passed away very early, and his father was practically a thug—addicted to alcohol, gambling, and violence, missing none of these vices. Not only did he never fulfill a father’s responsibilities, but in the past two years, he frequently demanded huge sums of support money from Ethan Sutton.

This kind of family background was quite common in the entertainment industry in earlier years.

So for a time, some people thought this was a tragic yet strong persona deliberately crafted for Ethan Sutton by his management company.

Rumors swirled, but Ethan Sutton never responded.

But William Brooks knew that these things were probably all true.

Those gloomy high school days, his shabby clothes, the fresh and old wounds on his face—all seemed to corroborate the rumors.

Given all this, why hasn’t Ethan Sutton learned his lesson and become a responsible father?

Sigh.

William Brooks let out a sigh, and with the conscience and sense of duty of a people’s teacher, picked up her phone and sent a message to Ethan Sutton.

[William Brooks]: Are you free during the National Day holiday?

[c]: No.

“……”

[William Brooks]: I understand you’re very popular right now and busy with work, but do you really not have any free time at all?

[William Brooks]: Not even for one evening?

[c]: ?

[William Brooks]: ?

[c]: Sorry.

[c]: I sell my art, not my body.

William Brooks: “……”

She really had to clench and unclench her fists.

Ethan Sutton never used to be like this!!!

Although they hadn’t interacted much, he definitely wasn’t this kind of person.

The entertainment industry really is a big dye vat.

William Brooks didn’t want to keep talking to him, so she just copied the homework assignment and sent it over.

[Dear parents! We are about to welcome the wonderful National Day holiday. In this golden autumn weather, we encourage everyone to take your children outdoors to get close to nature. The Chinese homework will be a travel journal, with a self-chosen theme—visiting the zoo or botanical garden is recommended. All the staff of Jiangcheng Experimental Primary School wish you a happy National Day!]

Before hitting send, William Brooks paused and deleted the last sentence.

You’d better not be too happy.

-

Because teachers have paid winter and summer vacations, William Brooks didn’t plan to squeeze into crowds during the seven days of National Day.

She had originally planned to go home and spend time with her parents, but the two of them had suddenly decided to go on a road trip with colleagues, so William Brooks could only spend the holiday alone in Jiangcheng.

Spending each day online watching others squeeze into crowds wasn’t so bad either.

William Brooks bought lots of snacks and fruit to pile up at home, caught up on all the variety shows and dramas she usually didn’t have time to watch, stayed in pajamas from morning till night, and only opened the door for takeout and deliveries.

Thinking about it, she had basically copied her roommate’s lifestyle.

Speaking of her roommate Grace Young, at first William Brooks really didn’t understand her habits. As a full-time illustrator, Grace Young did all her work and living in her small bedroom, only going out every two or three days, practically growing into her bed like she was paralyzed.

Now it was William Brooks’s turn, and she was even worse than Grace Young, not seeing another person for six whole days.

On the last day of the holiday, it was Grace Young who couldn’t stand it anymore and dragged her out to the nearby park to get some sun.

Maybe because all the kids had been taken on trips by their parents, the park was especially quiet today, with hardly any elderly people playing chess or bird-watching.

Only the famous Ferris wheel, which offered a panoramic view of Jiangcheng, had some visitors.

Weather in the low twenties—there were only a few days like this in the whole year.

William Brooks and Grace Young each took up a bench, idly wasting more than two hours.

The sun’s shadow silently shifted, and a drifting leaf brushed past William Brooks’s nose in the beam of light.

She opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused in midair, and after a while her thoughts returned. She shifted her eyes left, looking at Grace Young.

“It’s six o’clock. Should we head back?”

Grace Young had a newspaper covering her face and grunted a muffled “mm.”

Then she stayed still for another five minutes before lifting the newspaper.

“Let’s go.”

The sun was almost down. The two of them put their hands in their pockets, slowly left the park, had dinner on the pedestrian street, and then headed home.

When they opened the door and bent down to change shoes, William Brooks suddenly let out a “ya!”

“What’s wrong?”

Grace Young asked, “Are your slippers too hot?”

“No.”

William Brooks rolled up her sleeve and frowned. “My bracelet is missing.”

“Huh? Lost it? Are you sure you didn’t leave without wearing it?”

“No way, I wear it every day, even if I don’t go out.”

Though she sounded certain, William Brooks still went to her room to check her jewelry box.

When she didn’t find the bracelet inside, she searched her bedside and the bathroom.

Not finding it in her room, William Brooks hurriedly shuffled in her slippers to the kitchen and living room, even searching the sofa cushions.

Seeing how anxious she was, Grace Young helped her look around too.

“What does it look like?”

“A beaded bracelet, rose quartz.”

After searching the whole apartment and not finding it, they basically concluded it must have been lost in the park or on the pedestrian street.

Grace Young said, “Looks like we’ll have to go back to the park. Just hope no one’s picked it up.”