Evan Morris turned around and glared fiercely at her son, scolding, “What’s with you, child? How can you talk like that? You two are old classmates—can’t she come find you to hang out for no reason?”

Brian Perry was taken aback. How could he not know that Grace Carter had feelings for him? In his previous life, he and Grace Carter had once gotten together, but due to her parents’ strong opposition, they had to break up halfway. Later, Grace Carter was forced to marry the son of a government official, but less than a year after the wedding, she got divorced.

As for Brian Perry, his marriage was also unhappy. He remained single until he was thirty, when he married a Chinese teacher at a middle school under the district education bureau. Unfortunately, that marriage lasted even less time. The woman had initially thought he was a government official with power and influence, but after getting married, she discovered that Brian Perry was actually penniless. She quickly found someone new and threw herself into the arms of a wealthy man.

Fortunately, Brian Perry had no real feelings for her. He got married just for the sake of carrying on the family line, so when she left, she left—he didn’t take it to heart.

Brian Perry remembered clearly that his romance with Grace Carter had started around these few days. After Evan Morris took her own life, it was Grace Carter who accompanied him through the darkest and most painful summer of his life.

But in this life... does he have to start over with Grace Carter again? And what will the outcome be this time?

Brian Perry shook his head. He had more important things to do right now; as for matters of the heart, he’d leave them for later.

Chapter 005 Baiyun Temple

“Mom, I need to go out for a bit,” Brian Perry said to Evan Morris.

Then he turned to Grace Carter and said softly, “Grace Carter, if you’re free this afternoon, come with me to the countryside.”

With that, Brian Perry pushed open the door and left.

Grace Carter hesitated for a moment, called out to Aunt Meng, then chased after Brian Perry down the stairs.

Evan Morris watched the two of them go downstairs and sighed softly.

How could she, as a mother, not see Grace Carter’s feelings for her son? But the two families were not a good match. The Cao family would definitely look down on her, a widowed mother and orphan. If the two really wanted to be together, it would be very difficult.

Downstairs, Grace Carter saw Brian Perry pushing his bicycle and smiled gently, saying, “Brian Perry, you’re going to the countryside? Where to?”

“To my hometown, and also to Baiyun Temple Township,” Brian Perry replied. But when he looked at Grace Carter again, there was a faint, almost imperceptible tenderness in his eyes.

This girl was upright, kind, and very pure. The two of them were actually quite a good match. Unfortunately, the Cao family was dead set against letting their daughter marry Brian Perry. Her mother, Liu Fang, even threatened to kill herself over it. In the end, the girl had no choice but to give in, breaking up with Brian Perry in tears.

“Oh, that’s so far! Riding a bike would be exhausting. Wait for me—I’ll go home and get my scooter.” Grace Carter ran ahead, but after a few steps, she turned back and waved, “Wait for me, I’ll be quick!”

Before long, Grace Carter came over riding her brand-new women’s scooter, tossed a helmet over with a smile, and said, “Come on, get on, Brian Perry, I’ll take you!”

Without any hesitation, Brian Perry took the helmet, put it on, and jumped onto the back seat. Grace Carter twisted the throttle, and the locally made scooter buzzed off down the road.

In those days, motorcycles weren’t something ordinary people could afford. Only someone from a family like Grace Carter’s could buy a scooter worth several thousand yuan. For Brian Perry and his mother, that was already a huge sum.

Grace Carter drove the scooter with Brian Perry out of the Xin’an Machinery Factory residential area, heading north along the highway toward Brian Perry’s hometown—a small village called Boxia, where his father Eric Perry’s adoptive parents lived.

Grace Carter drove the scooter at breakneck speed. Who would have thought such a quiet and beautiful girl could drive so “fiercely”? Luckily, it was early afternoon and there were few people or vehicles on the road, so their wild ride went smoothly.

Brian Perry held tightly around Grace Carter’s slender, supple waist, his heart gradually filling with a deepening tenderness. Emotions from his past and present lives intertwined, and for a moment, he was overwhelmed.

The half-hour journey passed in a flash. When Grace Carter drove the scooter to the entrance of Boxia Village, Brian Perry finally came back to his senses. He gently patted Grace Carter on the shoulder, jumped off the scooter, and said softly, “Grace Carter, wait for me here. I have something to take care of. I’ll be right back.”

Grace Carter nodded gently, parked the scooter under the big locust tree at the village entrance, and stood by the bike, quietly watching Brian Perry’s departing figure, a blush slowly rising on her cheeks.

Brian Perry went straight to the Boxia Village Committee. The current village secretary was Robert Smith, the son of the previous secretary, and a neighbor of his grandparents.

The village committee was set up at the The Smith Family.

As he entered the newly renovated farmhouse of the The Smith Family, a mongrel dog came running out barking, and an old man in a round-neck undershirt was carrying a load of pig manure, about to head out. He ran into Brian Perry and paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “Yuan Zheng? What brings you back to the village? Are you on vacation?”

“Third Grandpa! I’ve graduated from college and came to visit you. By the way, Third Grandpa, is Uncle Da Zhuang home?” Brian Perry composed himself and greeted him with a smile.