"There's going to be a mobile book fair in a bit. Want to go check it out? They say a lot of mobile book vendors are coming."

Right after school, Grace Sullivan turned around and asked in a low voice.

"Mobile book fair?" William Clark thought for a moment, trying to recall what that was.

Basically, it was just a bunch of book vendors who both bought and sold used books. They were middlemen in the book trade. In this era when the internet wasn't developed, digging through books was one of the few hobbies students had.

"Let's go together. Maybe we can find some random odds and ends." Grace Sullivan invited enthusiastically, her attitude warm. It was obvious she wanted to go.

"Not going for now. I don't have any money," William Clark said calmly.

"Didn't you just get over a hundred in pocket money? I saw it yesterday, you had a wad of cash in your pocket." Grace Sullivan snorted with a cold laugh.

"That money has to last a long time."

"Miss this chance and there won't be another. Are you sure you don't want to go? Maybe you'll find some really good books for cheap." Grace Sullivan winked at William Clark, her face full of a teasing smile.

William Clark remained expressionless.

"I really don't have any money."

"It's just a few yuan per book. When the time comes, you get one, I get one, and we split the cost." Grace Sullivan lowered her voice, leaning in.

"……" William Clark understood what she meant.

The so-called "a few yuan per book" referred to the most popular little booklets among students—smutty books.

These small booklets had covers printed with all sorts of handsome men and beautiful women, and inside were all kinds of forbidden content that got people's blood pumping.

These booklets usually sold for four yuan each, a standard price, but the content varied. Although Grace Sullivan was a girl, she loved secretly buying these little books the most.

"So? We'll call it our joint property. I'll read it for a week first, then give it to you. After that, we can rent it out—fifty cents a day." Grace Sullivan said mysteriously.

"…Not interested." William Clark was silent for a moment before forcing out a reply.

"Heh." Grace Sullivan looked at him and smiled. "It's settled then. Meet at the school gate in a bit."

With that, she turned around and started packing up her things.

Even though she was a girl, Grace Sullivan never treated herself like one. In class, her relationship with William Clark was just like that of two bros.

She had a bold and straightforward personality and got along well with the boys. She gave off the vibe of an ordinary guy.

If it weren't for her gradually developing chest and hips constantly reminding everyone that she was female, William Clark really wouldn't have thought of her as a girl.

What kind of girl drags a guy along to buy smutty books...

William Clark was speechless. Even in his previous life, this was a one-of-a-kind situation, let alone now.

He wanted to refuse, but right now, all his thoughts were on the text he had memorized from that dream.

A bit of curiosity was pushing him to translate that passage as soon as possible.

"But it wouldn't hurt to take a look. I remember seeing a pirated dictionary of the Gulein language at the secondhand book stalls before. Cheap stuff—might as well buy it for show."

Thinking of this, William Clark became a little interested.

He quickly packed up his books and test papers. Two students from another class came to borrow study notes from Grace Sullivan, and Grace Sullivan told William Clark to wait for her at the main gate.

William Clark carried his backpack and stood idly by the school gate, bored.

Groups of students in blue and white uniforms were leaving school, walking out through the open gate.

The setting sun cast a faint red glow on every student's figure.

Shouts from students playing soccer after school drifted over from the nearby field.

There were also students riding bicycles, constantly ringing their bells as they passed by.

William Clark stood to one side of the iron gate and couldn't help but take a deep breath. The mild temperature made him feel as if the oxygen was reaching deep into his lungs, completely expelling all the stale air.

"Let's go!" Grace Sullivan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and patted him on the shoulder.

The girl had tied her hair into a ponytail, swaying behind her head. Her eyes carried a hint of mischief as she glanced around.

"I brought a dark-colored tote bag today. We can buy more stuff that way."

"……" William Clark really wanted to say, I'm not interested at all.

Right now, he was much more interested in translating that passage, but saying that would probably dampen Grace Sullivan's enthusiasm.

He paused, but held his tongue.

"I was going to drag Annie along, but she's too shy," Grace Sullivan whispered.

"……" It wasn't that she was shy, but that she knew there would be a boy coming, so she was too embarrassed to join.

William Clark knew Annie, who was Grace Sullivan's best friend and the only real close friend she had in class.

But he wasn't particularly close to her.

The two of them didn't talk much as they walked quickly along the roadside, turned a couple of corners, and soon found themselves in an alley in an older part of town.

The alley was only about two hundred meters from the school, and it was lined with all kinds of book stalls.

Chapter 8

Evening.

In the alley, there were more than a dozen scattered book stalls.

Some were just a piece of tattered cloth spread on the ground, with a sheet of plastic underneath and books laid out on top.

Some were mobile carts, piled high with all sorts of pirated books, pirated tapes, CDs, and even small radios.

It wasn't dark yet, but there were already customers like William Clark and Grace Sullivan browsing the alley. There weren't many people, but the atmosphere was lively.