William Carter could feel it—the person in front of him genuinely wanted to talk to someone, just to simply have a conversation.

The rain was already pouring down, drumming loudly on the ground and the low awnings of the houses in the alley, as if it would soon become a single, unbroken sheet.

Out of the corner of his eye, William Carter caught sight of a familiar figure holding an umbrella, walking along the road outside. He thought for a moment, then turned to look at Ethan Miller, who was still watching him, waiting for him to ask a question, and asked, “Where do you go when it rains?”

“I like to stay in the trees, but sometimes I’ll go inside to hide from the rain. There are a lot of houses here that don’t even lock their doors at night, hehe. Anyway, no one can see me, and I’m not afraid of the cold.”

“I have to go now, my aunt is coming out to look for me.”

“Oh…”

William Carter saw the light in his eyes suddenly dim, so he quickly said, “You can come find me. You know where I live, don’t you?”

Those eyes widened instantly, reflecting even more light.

“Okay!”

“Mm! I’m going now!”

“Goodbye!”

“Okay.”

William Carter turned and walked out of the alley, shielding his backpack as he quickened his pace and started to run. It wasn’t long before he caught up with Aunt Harris, and by then his hair was already soaked.

“Aunt Harris, why did you come out?”

“Huh, how did you end up behind me?” Aunt Harris handed him her umbrella and opened another one for herself.

“You didn’t see me, did you? I only realized it was you after I’d already walked past, so I hurried back.” William Carter was a bit helpless. “You don’t have to come out just to pick me up. It’s just a short walk, getting a little wet is no big deal. If the rain gets heavy, I’ll just run.”

“This rain is really heavy.”

“Then I’ll just get a cab.”

“When it rains, everyone’s trying to get a cab—there aren’t enough cars. And the college entrance exam is coming up. What if you catch a cold or a fever from getting wet?” Aunt Harris said, glancing at his hair. “Look, your hair is all wet. Hurry and dry it with your clothes.”

“Where’s Xiaoshuang?”

“I just ran into him and gave him an umbrella.”

“Oh.”

“I made pork trotter soup for you, with white radish. When we get home, take a shower first. I already told Xiaoshuang to let you go first—right now, you’re more important…”

William Carter’s parents divorced when he was very young. Because his grandparents were obsessed with carrying on the family line, he stayed with his father. His current home is a blended family; Aunt Harris is his stepmother. She also brought a younger brother, named Helen Reed, who is only a year younger than William Carter and is now also studying at Yancheng High School, in the second year.

When he got home, William Carter took a shower and changed into dry clothes. On the table was a freshly served bowl of pork trotter soup. Unlike most people’s pork trotter soup, which has a thick layer of oil on top, Aunt Harris thought that was too unhealthy.

William Carter really liked the white radish in the soup.

“I’m going back to do my homework.”

“Go to bed early.”

“Okay.”

William Carter shuffled toward his room in his slippers. As soon as he opened the door, he saw a figure sitting on the window frame, this time facing him, head turned to look out at the rain. The wind blew the cool, damp air inside.

“You really came!” William Carter was a little surprised.

“Yeah, I thought you seemed pretty eager about those questions.” Ethan Miller responded quickly. “On my way here, I saw a girl wearing the same clothes as you being chased and bitten by a big dog!”

“Oh.”

William Carter walked to his desk, pulled out his chair, and sat down.

He turned on the desk lamp, and the eye-protecting light instantly filled the desk. He took out his slightly damp homework from his backpack, smoothed it out, and then looked at Ethan Miller: “Come in and have a seat.”

The room wasn’t big; there were no large apartments in this complex. There was a bunk bed, a nightstand, a bookshelf, a small wardrobe, and then the desk and chair where William Carter was sitting. Ethan Miller jumped down from the window frame and glanced around, realizing he could only sit on William Carter’s bed. But he was still wet, and he’d been afraid to come in before, worried he’d drip water on William Carter’s floor.

The floor was shiny, looking expensive.

He didn’t dare sit, so he leaned against the ladder of the bed and started to look around William Carter’s room.

Chapter 5: The Monster Who Goes to School

“This is your room!” Ethan Miller asked, pretending not to know. He fixed his gaze on the desk lamp in front of William Carter, resisting the urge to go over and touch it. “This little street lamp is pretty unique. I’ve always wanted to know how this thing lights up!”

“The principle is… it lights up when you turn on the power.”

“…Oh!”

Ethan Miller seemed to understand.

Then he turned to look at William Carter’s bed. “This bed is unique too. But why do you need two beds if you’re alone? Do you have a maid or something?”

“I got it when I was little. Back then, my brother and I slept together—he had the top bunk. When we got older, we stopped sharing, and after I started middle school, the bed was moved to this house.” William Carter turned to look at Ethan Miller, whose gaze was darting everywhere.

“So you can sleep on the top if you want, or the bottom if you want!”

“Pretty much.”

“That’s great!” Ethan Miller exclaimed, then pointed at William Carter’s bookshelf, which was packed full. “Have you read all these books?”

“Most of them are textbooks.”

“Oh! I know what those are!” Ethan Miller nodded, his gaze continuing to wander.