Looking at Emily Johnson, whose every gesture exuded noble elegance, even though at this moment William Smith's young body housed a mature soul seasoned by the vicissitudes of life, and even with the extra twenty years of memories, William Smith had certainly encountered and interacted with all kinds of beautiful women. Yet, the man had to admit in his heart that, setting aside the unpleasant feeling of stealing Mr. Foster's attention, Emily Johnson was indeed a stunning beauty destined to become a femme fatale.

However, whether she was a beauty capable of toppling a nation or a femme fatale, what did that have to do with me! William Smith thought calmly, showing his habitual smile. “Mm, thank you for your concern, Miss Johnson. I’m already fine now.”

While smiling, William Smith's gaze fell on a man following behind Emily Johnson and Mr. Foster.

A man about the same age as William Smith, but with a sharp, striking presence. That handsome face, when compared to William Smith's own, made William Smith wonder if he should feel ashamed and just jump out of the seventh floor to end his misery.

This man, with looks that could rival the most handsome celebrities, stepped forward. The corner of his eye glanced at the psychic power tester in William Smith's hand, and the number 55 flashing on the LCD screen made the man's lips curl into a subtle arc.

“Mr. Smith, thank you for saving my cousin Emily. When I heard something happened to her, I rushed here from the capital. You were truly brave.” The man's expression was sincere; if William Smith hadn’t noticed the obvious mocking twitch at the corner of his mouth earlier, he might have felt a bit of goodwill.

“You’re too kind. Mr. Foster has always cared for Miss Johnson like his own daughter, so I suppose that makes me half a big brother to her. A brother saving his own sister is only natural.” William Smith reached out for a symbolic handshake with the man, replying blandly.

Such a noncommittal answer made the atmosphere in the bedroom suddenly a bit tense. Then, William Smith noticed the man glancing back at Mr. Foster.

The old man caught on and took over the conversation, smiling: “Will, it’s a good thing you woke up. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have seen me this afternoon. Actually, before I retired, your Uncle Foster was the butler of the 洛 family in the capital. After the fire, the family head heard about it and asked me to return to my old post. Will, you…”

What was bound to happen still happened. A trace of sadness flashed through William Smith's heart, but he smiled and said, “It’s a good thing for you to go back, Mr. Foster! You don’t need to worry about me. I’m already fine, just need a few more days to recover. I’ll be bouncing around, full of energy again.”

“Then, Big Brother Smith, is there anything else you need?” Emily Johnson asked softly, her demeanor no longer as distant as before.

“There is!” William Smith pretended to ponder. In his memory, Emily Johnson had left him enough wealth for an ordinary person to squander for a lifetime, but now William Smith didn’t care about any of that.

“Ah! The latest model of gaming helmet—‘Sky Realm’ is about to launch. I haven’t had time to buy a dedicated gaming helmet.” William Smith slapped his thigh and exclaimed, his anxious look making the three people around him burst into laughter.

Emily Johnson laughed and said, “I almost forgot, Big Brother Smith used to play ‘Eternal Radiance’ all the time! I’ll have someone order a gaming pod for you right away. This ‘Sky Realm’ is a masterpiece no one can afford to miss!”

The man also laughed and said, “So Mr. Smith also played ‘Eternal Radiance’? Well, if you run into any trouble in ‘Sky Realm’ in the future, you can come to me. My in-game name has always been the same: Shadow.”

Upon hearing this, William Smith showed an inscrutable smile. “Oh! Shadow? One of the seven generals under the Western Alliance’s lone overlord in ‘Eternal Radiance’?”

Seeing William Smith's smile, the man felt a strange sense of familiarity for some reason, but quickly brushed it off and said proudly, “That’s right. If you need anything, just message me in the game.”

“Definitely, definitely…”

The bedroom door closed softly again. As Emily Johnson and the other two stepped out, Shadow suddenly remembered something, and was startled. That utterly ordinary man’s smile just now was… was uncannily similar to the smile of Emma Carter, that stunning and otherworldly figure, when the two great leaders of the East and West Alliances met in ‘Eternal Radiance’.

The same casual indifference, the same solitary pride…

The man looked back at the house in shock and uncertainty, scanning it once more. He must just be tired from the journey, his nerves playing tricks on him.

……

Late at night, when all was quiet, a cold wind swept through, and the chill of winter still gripped the city.

Warm, dim light glowed in William Smith's room, and through the window came intermittent, somewhat hysterical laughter.

In the bedroom, William Smith sat on the floor, caressing the gaming pod placed in the center of the room, his expression as if he were touching the most perfect work of art—focused and obsessed.

But William Smith didn’t mind at all. After all, when anyone finally gets what they’ve long waited for, any unusual behavior is understandable.

His hands gently stroked the orange gaming pod, and William Smith couldn’t help but feel grateful to Emily Johnson. As expected of a girl—so thoughtful! She bought me the top-of-the-line gaming pod. Hmm, how do they say it in gaming terms? Awesome!