"Clark, I thought you'd been spending all your time with the football club lately and didn't have much time for other social activities."
Eric said to Clark as he entered.
"Sorry, I've been doing extra practice lately. Coach Watt said we need to prepare for next Monday's game, so..."
Clark explained to Eric, a bit awkwardly.
"I understand. Sometimes you have to make choices."
Eric replied, looking at the paper in Clark's hand, "You're not here to convince me to join the football team, are you?"
"No."
Clark sat down and handed the paper to Eric.
"This is the form for the school's blood drive."
"Blood drive?"
Eric frowned, "You know, we're both different from others."
"I know."
Clark's face showed a helpless expression, "The blood drive is hosted by Lana. She wanted to give you this form, but she couldn't find you after school, so she asked me to pass it on, even though I explained to her that you weren't suitable for donating..."
"Oh."
Eric took the form and nodded, "Lana? I thought she was afraid of blood? The first time she had blood drawn in seventh grade, her legs went weak and she fainted. And now she's hosting a blood drive?"
Seeing Clark's surprised expression, Eric explained with a smirk, "Don't be nervous, I'm not interested in Lana's private life. You told me about this, didn't you?"
Before Clark could speak, Eric continued, "Let me guess how you refused Lana. 'It's not very convenient, but I can help, like finding other people to participate or distributing cookies.'"
"You seem to know everything, Eric."
Clark shrugged and took the "blood donation form" from Eric's hand, "And you always 'hit' me at just the right moment."
"No, it's not about knowing you, but about knowing 'you when you're involved with Lana,' after all, anyone can see your ulterior motives towards Lana."
Facing Eric's teasing, Clark's expression became a bit unnatural, "I just want to help her, as a good friend."
"Then you must be very careful, otherwise, once you cross the line, you can't use friendship as an excuse."
Although he had never been in love, Eric still spoke to his "older brother" in the tone of a "veteran."
After listening to Eric's words, which he wasn't sure were teasing or encouraging, Clark nodded thoughtfully and stood up to leave.
But after a moment of hesitation, he stopped, a struggling look on his face.
"You look very strange today, Clark."
"No, it's just..."
Clark sat back down and said to Eric, "When I saw you come in just now, you were carrying some things."
"So?"
Eric's expression remained unchanged.
"And I smelled a faint scent of blood on you."
Clark became a little hesitant and uneasy, "I don't know if you went to do those bad things, but Eric, you can't keep doing this. And I can't keep covering for you. If Mom and Dad find out, I don't know what will happen. I don't want to lie..."
"No one can always tell the truth, Clark, just like you won't tell Lana the real reason why you can't donate blood."
Eric's expression was calm, "This is the price we pay for our abilities."
"I know I can never convince you."
Clark stood up, looking a little disappointed, "It's getting late. I think I should go back."
"Clark!"
Eric called out to his older brother, who was about to leave, "Sometimes, you can't trust your eyes, because eyes can deceive people. Pay attention to the people around you!"
"..."
Clark was stunned, not knowing what Eric meant by that sentence.
Eyes can deceive himself?
Pay attention to the people around him?
What does it mean?
This sentence kept circling in his mind, so much so that Clark, who usually slept very well, fell asleep very late.
The next day, in the afternoon.
Kent Farm.
"I told you, Jonathan, don't use the upstairs toilet. It's clogged, and it's going to take me a lot of effort to clean it."
Martha shouted to her husband while sitting at the dining table calculating income and expenses.
"Sorry, I didn't notice."
Jonathan explained to his wife, a bit awkwardly, "I'll fix it."
"You don't have the talent of a plumber, Jonathan."
Martha looked up, "At most, you only have the talent of an electrician and an agricultural machinery repairman."
"Can I take that as a compliment?"
Jonathan entered the bathroom with his tools and turned to his wife.
"Whew..."
Martha was not in the mood to joke with her husband.
Looking at the severely over-budget figures on the bill, she let out a heavy sigh.
"It seems bank loans need to be put on the agenda."
Just as she was worrying about how not to be overwhelmed by high profits after taking out a loan, several uninvited guests arrived at the farm.
Several middle-aged men in suits and ties arrived at Kent Farm, accompanied by Niel.
"You're looking for Eric?"
"Yes, but as Eric Kent's guardians, there's no problem discussing the publishing contract with us."
The middle-aged man, who introduced himself as being from "Metropolis University Press," explained with a smile to Jonathan and Martha.
"Wait..."
Jonathan asked the other party, a bit confused, "You mean, you're interested in Eric, that is, my son's submission, and you want to discuss publishing a book with him?"
"Actually, Ms. Niel recommended Mr. Eric's manuscript to us. It's full of bizarre imagination and incredible immersive effects, and we believe it has extremely high commercial value. Given that Mr. Eric doesn't have a literary agent, we could only visit in person."
The middle-aged man from the publishing house replied patiently.
After listening to the middle-aged man's words, Martha and Jonathan looked at Niel inquiringly and received a confirming glance from her.
"Can we take a look at Eric's manuscript?"
Martha asked the other party, still somewhat disbelieving.
She never expected her younger son to publish a book. Although she often saw Eric writing and drawing on weekdays, she thought it was just his leisure hobby.
Martha dizzily took the manuscript from the other party and roughly browsed through it.
As before, she was completely bewildered. Although she had a creepy feeling, it wasn't because she was affected by the content, but more like a meaningless physiological reaction.
No matter how she looked at it, she didn't think it was a work with any "commercial value."
"We'll have to wait until Eric comes back before we can discuss the publishing contract with him, after all, it's his work."
Although his heart was filled with confusion and shock, Jonathan calmly expressed his attitude.
"Creak!"
The door was pushed open, and Eric just happened to enter at this moment.
Everyone immediately turned their gaze to him.