What a cute little girl—her white teeth and rosy lips made her look just like a porcelain doll. William Clark instantly felt a fondness for her and quickly said, “Big brother thinks people should smile more, it makes life more interesting. Keeping a straight face all day is just too boring. Little sister, you’re really pretty…”

“Shanshan, who told you to run off like that? Don’t talk to strangers again…” Before William Clark could finish speaking, the little girl was hurriedly scooped up by a woman in her thirties, as if she had just snatched her from the jaws of a tiger.

“Mom, I was just asking big brother something. He’s not a stranger, he said I’m pretty.” The little girl was still trying to explain.

With a “smack,” “I told you not to be naughty. That man is mentally ill, what’s there to talk about?” It seemed the little girl had just been slapped.

“Wah…” The little girl immediately burst into tears.

William Clark frowned, shook his head, and lost all interest in continuing his walk. He turned around and went straight back to where he was staying. Seeing that it was almost five o’clock, he figured Evelyn Blake would be getting off work soon.

He put rice and water into the rice cooker, plugged it in to start cooking, then took out the leftover vegetables from the fridge to wash. He managed to stir-fry two dishes: one of shredded potatoes, and one of celery. Although he hadn’t cooked in a long time, William Clark felt his cooking skills were still there. Not as good as before, but good enough to satisfy himself.

He ate his portion and left the rest in the rice cooker to keep warm. Figuring Evelyn Blake would be back soon, he couldn’t be bothered to see her—better to avoid a confrontation and getting the short end of the stick. William Clark went straight back to his room, closed the door, and resumed his cultivation.

Evelyn Blake was distracted at work today—not for any particular reason, but she regretted not locking her bedroom door before leaving. She’d even thought several times about going back home just to lock it. She had left two hundred yuan on her desk, thinking that since William Clark had nothing to eat, he’d come in, take the money, and buy himself some food instead of eating random things off the street.

But then she remembered how William Clark had sold everything in the house—the 42-inch plasma screen was gone, replaced by a huge old TV she’d bought herself, and the sofa, appliances, everything else had been sold off. Only her own room had always been locked, so her things were still there. But what if this time he sold everything in her room too?

The more Evelyn Blake thought about it, the more she regretted it. But it was almost time to get off work, and even if she rushed home, anything he wanted to sell would already be gone. She could let other things go, but her computer had so much of her own writing and important files. Sigh, how could she have felt sympathy for someone like him?

As soon as work ended, Evelyn Blake dashed out of the office. Xiao You and Fang Ping exchanged glances at the sight, thinking, What’s up with Evelyn? She’s been in a hurry since yesterday—she never used to be like this.

“Evelyn, it’s the weekend, and there’s a performance of ‘Madame Butterfly’ tonight. I finally managed to get two tickets—let’s go together!” John Sullivan called out as he saw Evelyn Blake rushing out of the office.

“No time.” Before the words were even out, Evelyn Blake had already disappeared at the stairwell.

John Sullivan’s face immediately darkened. She used to at least make up excuses to turn him down, but now she just said she was busy, not even bothering to be polite. So what if she’s a little pretty? She’s got a crazy husband and still acts all high and mighty. Hmph.

Evelyn Blake sped back to Xianghu Villa. Normally, she’d care about the sympathetic looks from others, but this time she rushed straight to her place. She opened the courtyard gate and saw no one; it was unusually quiet, and her heart sank again. Please don’t let my computer be sold, she thought.

Not bothering to check anywhere else, Evelyn Blake ran straight to the second floor and hurriedly pushed open her bedroom door.

Chapter 006 William Clark’s Cooking

When Evelyn Blake saw her computer still there at first glance, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Huh, the two hundred yuan on the desk hadn’t been touched either. Looking around, there were no signs that anything had been disturbed—meaning William Clark hadn’t even entered her room.

Evelyn Blake was stunned. She thought to herself, That can’t be right. Based on William Clark’s past behavior, he would definitely have come in, taken the money, and gone out. What’s going on? Could it be…? Maybe he ate too many laxatives yesterday and still hasn’t gotten up? But now that she thought about it, she hadn’t heard him go to the bathroom at all yesterday. His room didn’t have its own bathroom—only hers and the one in the second-floor suite did.

Ah—Evelyn Blake suddenly froze. Could he have… in his room? The thought made her feel nauseous, but she didn’t dare knock on William Clark’s door, afraid it might be true.

Maybe I should call a housekeeper, Evelyn Blake sighed. She went back to the living room to call a cleaning lady to help William Clark, tossing her bag onto the sofa. Then she remembered the food she’d left warming yesterday. She hurried into the kitchen and unplugged the rice cooker—sure enough, it hadn’t been touched. Looks like he still hadn’t come out.