Even if it wasn’t just to figure out this problem, just to make sure he wouldn’t give himself away in the future by failing to recognize acquaintances, he still had to do this.

He began rummaging through the apartment stark naked.

Sure enough, he found a lot of things, but the most valuable was an address book.

This was the best tool to understand William Clark’s social connections.

Opening the first page, the most prominent spot should be the home address and phone number.

Because the entire page contained only this one piece of information.

So important—clearly something extremely important to William Clark.

A wanderer who’s been away from home for years, what’s most important?

Home!

William Clark glanced at it, intending to turn the page.

But in the end, he didn’t turn it. His hand froze in place, his eyes staring blankly at the handwritten address and phone number.

This seven-digit number looks so familiar...

And this address looks so familiar too...

It’s really familiar, just way too familiar...

But why does it look so familiar to me?

Yeah, why?

Could it be that I’ve been to his house?

That’s impossible!

No, wait!

Wait...

Wait...

This—this... this damn well looks like my own home!

William Clark was struck as if by lightning, stunned by this discovery, his mind completely blank for a full five minutes!

When his brain finally responded after five minutes, the first thought that popped up was— I should call to confirm!

Without another word, he threw on his clothes and rushed downstairs.

※※※

At the entrance of the apartment building, there were two card-operated phones that could make international calls.

William Clark dialed the number he should have been very familiar with, his hands trembling, but because he was so agitated, he misdialed several times.

He cursed under his breath in frustration.

Finally, after much difficulty, he got through. He pressed the receiver tightly to his ear, listening to the long beeps as the call waited to connect.

After a few rings, the call was answered.

“Hello, is that Peter Clark?”

A soft, gentle voice came from the other end.

There was no need for further proof... William Clark was certain, the person speaking on the other end was his mother!

Because his mother’s voice was very distinctive. No matter how old she got, her voice never changed. Ever since William Clark could remember, his impression of his mother’s voice was always this soft and gentle, almost like a young girl’s.

And the even more important evidence was the way his mother addressed him, this nickname... His full name was “William Clark”, but his nickname had nothing to do with his given name. His nickname was “Peter Clark”, which his parents had chosen for him while he was still in the womb, hoping their child would have a character like a stone—strong and tough.

So at home, his parents almost never called him by his full name, always calling him “Peter Clark”, “Peter Clark”. And whenever they did use his full name, it meant he was in trouble. A scolding was the least of it—sometimes it was a beating...

William Clark never expected that in this world, his parents had still given this William Clark the same nickname...

He was now absolutely certain, the person on the other end was his mother, and that was his home.

“Peter Clark, why aren’t you saying anything?” his mother’s voice came again.

“Mom...” William Clark called out, his lips trembling.

When he crossed over, he had never thought about what would happen to his parents in that other world, because all he could think about was making a name for himself, becoming a winner in life.

But at this moment, he suddenly felt relieved. He realized that deep down, he couldn’t let go of his parents— I crossed over, I’m enjoying myself, I can start over and achieve great things, but what about my parents?

Now, that problem no longer existed. My parents are his parents. My life hasn’t been split apart; it’s still whole.

“What’s wrong, Peter Clark? Your voice sounds off.”

Only then did William Clark realize this was not the time to show weakness, because his sensitive mother would easily pick up on it, and he really didn’t want to explain why he’d been dismissed by Real Madrid... Some things would take too long to explain.

So he quickly covered it up: “It’s nothing, I just choked a bit earlier, my throat’s a little off...”

“Don’t tell me you’ve caught a cold? You’re out there alone, you have to be extra careful. Even though it’s summer, you still need to watch out. You like to kick off your covers when you sleep, what if you catch a chill at night? Your dad checks the Madrid weather on the news every day, remember to dress for the weather. You need to work harder at the club. You don’t like socializing, but don’t offend people because of that. Don’t always stay cooped up at home—go out and relax when you can, don’t wear yourself out...” His mother’s soft voice used to embarrass William Clark, because it didn’t sound like a mature mother at all, more like his older sister or even a younger sister... Every time there was a parent-teacher meeting, he never wanted his mother to go, just because he was afraid his classmates would make fun of her voice.