William Parker had never met James Carter before, and after spending three years in the deep mountains, it was perfectly normal for the other party not to recognize him. But the moment he saw James Carter, William Parker recognized him instantly. The middle-aged man before him was someone he had seen countless times in photographs. William Parker remembered that whenever his father John Parker was alone, he would always hold an old-fashioned photo, a genuine smile of reminiscence on his face. And in that photo, besides John Parker, the other man was James Carter. John Parker had once said to William Parker, “If one day Dad is gone, Uncle Hai will be the closest person to you.”

In his youth, William Parker had asked John Parker countless times what kind of person James Carter was, and how his father had met him, but John Parker would always just smile and not answer.

“William Parker!” Just these two simple words made James Carter's usually steady body tremble violently, almost losing his balance. Then, a flash of wild joy appeared in his eyes. He stepped forward and grabbed William Parker's shoulders, saying to him, “You are Little William, Little William, where are your parents? Tell me quickly, are they still alive too?” At this moment, James Carter was extremely agitated, his usual composure completely thrown aside. Even though there had long been proof that John Parker's family had died in a car accident, he had never been willing to accept this fact. Especially now, seeing William Parker appear, his heart, which had already fallen into despair, was once again set ablaze with hope.

William Parker did not dodge, letting James Carter hold him. A trace of sorrow appeared in his eyes. Looking at the excited James Carter, William Parker said sadly, “Uncle Hai, my parents both died in the car accident three years ago.”

“Boom!” James Carter felt his mind go blank, his eyes turning a bit red. The hope that had just risen was instantly extinguished, leaving his heart cold. After a long while, James Carter returned to normal, patted William Parker's shoulder, and forced a smile, “Little William, it's enough that you're alive, it's enough.” The smile he managed was a bit bitter, and James Carter's gaze became distant, as if piercing through time and space, returning to those glorious years.

Emily Carter's gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them. What was going on here? The madman in front of her was actually getting along with her dad, and they seemed to have a very close relationship. In her memory, she had never seen her father so emotional.

“Little William, come, tell me about your experiences over these years.” James Carter pulled William Parker along, leaving Emily Carter and her mother aside, and walked toward the sofa. The way he acted, it was clearly like a long-lost elder and junior, not at all like they were meeting for the first time.

“Mom, what’s up with Dad?” Emily Carter stomped her foot and pouted at David Turner.

“Aunt Fang, go make dinner first.” David Turner instructed Aunt Fang behind her, then pulled Emily Carter toward a room to the side.

After about an hour, James Carter was still talking with William Parker, as if they had endless things to say. Of course, William Parker couldn’t possibly tell him he had met immortals; he just said he was trapped in the mountains and casually mentioned some of his experiences, half true and half false.

At this time, Emily Carter came out of the room with David Turner and walked over to William Parker and James Carter.

“Xin’er, it was Dad who misunderstood you. But Little William won’t say how you two ended up fighting. Why don’t you tell Dad?” James Carter said to Emily Carter, his eyes once again filled with the gentle light of a loving father.

A blush appeared in Emily Carter's eyes as she glared fiercely at William Parker, clearly still angry. Meanwhile, David Turner leaned in and whispered the whole story to James Carter. Hearing how things had happened, James Carter first showed a strange expression, then smiled meaningfully.

“Dad, how can you still laugh? That jerk, he saw me—” Emily Carter saw James Carter's smile and immediately felt annoyed, wondering what was up with her dad today. Although she knew from her mother that her father and William Parker's father had been very close, how could he even change his usual attitude of opposing her being close to boys? And now he was even laughing about it.

“It’s nothing, so what if he saw? It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway.” James Carter said with a carefree smile.

Emily Carter and William Parker both widened their eyes. What kind of thing was that to say—sooner or later?

“Xiao, didn’t you tell Xin’er?” James Carter asked David Turner, who shook her head.

Emily Carter and William Parker were both stunned, completely unable to understand what James Carter was up to.

“Xin’er, you are already William Parker's fiancée. You’ll become his wife sooner or later, so isn’t it just a matter of time?” James Carter smiled slightly and said to the two of them.

Chapter 5: A Clever Plan Backfires

“I’m this pervert’s fiancée?” Emily Carter's bright eyes widened as she looked at James Carter in shock.

“That’s right. You and Little William were born in the same year. When you were born, I made this engagement with your Uncle Ye, Little William's father.” James Carter nodded as he spoke.

Emily Carter's eyes flickered. She seemed to understand now why her father had always opposed her dating boys—it was because of this. What was even more speechless was that even after William Parker had been missing for three years, James Carter still hadn’t given up on this idea.