The dazzling sunlight instantly lit up the entire bedroom, even making the dust in the air visible.

He was just an ordinary high school student, having attended Hui'an High School for three years, and was about to face the college entrance exam.

His dad ran a grocery store, his mom was a kindergarten teacher, and the family's total annual income didn't exceed 100,000 yuan.

His older sister was still studying at a university in another city. She would be leaving in a few days; she was only home for a short visit.

“So, most of the time, it’s just me at home.”

William Clark fell silent and reached out to open the bedroom door.

Outside was a corridor bathed in white sunlight.

From the kitchen came the sound of his sister busy washing things, the clinking and clattering crisp and pleasant.

William Clark walked to the kitchen, picked up the hot milk from the counter, and drank it all in one go.

His sister Alice Clark never liked dressing up, always wearing a white T-shirt and jeans—not the tight kind, just ordinary loose pants.

The only thing a bit unusual about her was her waist-length black hair and her gentle, serene aura.

William Clark put down the milk cup, reached for a slice of hot bread, and took small bites.

“Mom and Dad aren’t home today, so I’m in charge of cooking. But I’ll be leaving tomorrow, so you’ll have to take care of yourself. Don’t always make people worry.”

His sister took off her apron, sat on a high stool by the counter, picked up a cup of milk, took a sip, and started muttering.

“Mm.” William Clark responded, not sure what to say.

“Do you still have enough pocket money? I earned some during my part-time job over the holidays, so I have enough. If you need more, remember to ask me.” His sister Alice Clark always liked to worry—about this, about that. She’d been like that since they were kids.

“It’s enough.”

“……” Alice Clark thought for a moment. “Do you want any local specialties? There was a trade fair at my school recently, and I checked it out. It was pretty good—specialties from Kongxi. If you like, I can mail you a porcelain doll. They say the porcelain dolls from there are exquisitely made. A lot of my classmates like them…”

Alice Clark started rambling again.

William Clark listened quietly, only responding after his sister had gone on for more than ten minutes.

“I don’t want anything.”

“All right… Don’t always be so withdrawn. Go out and socialize more when you have time. If you keep this up, no girl will like you.” Alice Clark said helplessly.

Like her friends in the dorm, she valued family a lot, and her always-reserved younger brother had become her biggest concern.

Whenever she thought of her friend’s eldest brother, who was so introverted that he still hadn’t found a wife at forty, she felt a sense of urgency.

“I know.” William Clark had always been like this.

The two of them fell silent, quietly eating breakfast with their heads down.

The bread on the plate was soon gone, and the milk cups were quickly emptied.

His sister put her hand down and looked up at William Clark.

“Chenchen, I have a part-time job at university, so I have enough money. If you’re ever in trouble, you can call me.”

“Got it, sis.” William Clark replied, lowering his head.

“Chenchen.” Alice Clark suddenly reached out and placed her hand on William Clark’s left shoulder.

Chenchen was William Clark’s nickname at home, used only by those closest to him.

“When I’m not here, you’re the man of the house. Help Mom and Dad out more—they’re having a hard time too. Something happened at Mom’s kindergarten recently—a child went missing from the class she was in charge of. They’re still dealing with it. Mom’s fine, but she had to take some responsibility and got her pay docked…”

William Clark nodded.

“Don’t worry, sis. I’m fine here.”

“Then why do you look so pale?” Alice Clark asked with concern.

“Do I look that bad?” William Clark was taken aback.

“Go look in the bathroom mirror and see for yourself.” Alice Clark said helplessly, letting go of his shoulder.

William Clark quickly left the kitchen and went into the bathroom.

Looking up, he saw his current appearance reflected in the mirror.

A pale, bloodless, haggard face with gray lips.

“Didn’t sleep well last night? Maybe you should go back to bed for a while?” Alice Clark’s worried voice came from the bathroom door.

William Clark touched his lips—they felt dry, hard, and chapped.

“I… had a nightmare last night. It’s nothing, I’ll be fine in a bit.”

He didn’t want his family to worry, even though the nightmare had felt very real. But his tone remained casual.

“All right, I’m heading out now. I have something to do. When you get back from school, heat up the food for lunch yourself. Don’t wait for me. Mom and Dad went to Grandpa’s today, so you’ll be home alone. Remember to take your key when you go out.”

“Got it.” William Clark replied calmly.

Soon, he heard the sound of the door closing behind him.

The whole house instantly fell silent.

William Clark stood alone in front of the mirror, looking at his own face. For some reason, he suddenly felt that last night’s nightmare wouldn’t just pass so easily.

“Hope it was just an ordinary dream.”

William Clark turned and left the bathroom, walking into the living room.

On the long wooden table in the living room lay two one-hundred-yuan bills.

The green paper shimmered with different colors depending on the angle.

William Clark reached out, grabbed the money, and said nothing.