Starr Farm
The atmosphere at dinner today was a bit heavy; the family sat at the table eating, but anyone with eyes could tell something was off. The evening news reported that a school bus in Smallville had accidentally fallen off a cliff today, killing everyone on board, including the driver. Most of the bodies were unidentifiable, and after a brief on-site investigation, they were sent to the hospital for forensic identification.
"John, if I'm not mistaken, that's the school bus you usually take, isn't it?" Lucas said, his gaze fixed on John, as if he already knew the answer.
"I didn't catch that school bus, Father." John didn't dare meet Lucas's eyes and continued to eat.
John's words made Lucas's blood boil. Lucas slammed his hand on the table.
"We both know you did it, John. We all know you're different, don't we? You had an adult body at 10 years old," Lucas said angrily.
"Lucas, don't say that," Dominique said perfunctorily. She didn't care if John had killed people, but she could use this as an excuse to get John out.
"I really didn't get on that school bus, Father, I really didn't catch the bus," John said, genuinely emotional, as if afraid Lucas wouldn't believe him, so he repeated it.
Lucas, however, shook his head in disappointment and said, "I believe you, John, but I think it's time we talked about something else."
"Go ahead, Father, I'm listening," John said, secretly sighing in relief.
"You've grown up, John. I think you need to leave us and live on your own, and you've also been accepted into State University. The farm hasn't been doing well these past few years, so I think you'll have to rely on yourself, John. But we are your adoptive parents, and we'll let you stay until school starts, you can rest assured about that," Lucas mercilessly declared the ultimatum to John.
John's mood at this moment was like a roller coaster, fluctuating wildly. He reluctantly agreed, then returned to his room.
Night
This brand of milk is pretty good. John drank milk to relieve stress, then suddenly frowned.
"Dear, is what we're doing good for John?" Lucas and Dominique whispered.
"We have to do this, Lucas. John is a freak. He killed so many people today. What if he gets addicted to killing and kills us too in the future? It doesn't matter if we die, but our child is still young," Dominique sobbed to Lucas.
This made the hesitant Lucas firm up again, and he echoed, "Indeed, having a murderer at home is not good for the child's education. But after all, we are his adoptive parents. Not reporting him is already doing our utmost, and it's enough for these past ten-odd years of affection."
"Do they want to get rid of me so badly? Maybe I should just get rid of them." John's eyes glowed faintly red, then he shook his head sharply. "Forget it, for all the years they raised me, I'll spare them."
John, dressed handsomely, walked to Aiger's house.
He knocked on the door. John stood at the entrance waiting, and soon the door opened.
"You are?" Aiger's mother slightly opened a crack in the door, speaking very cautiously.
"I'm John, Aiger's friend. I'm here to see Aiger," John said.
Hearing John say this, Aiger's mother opened the door. "Come in for a cup of tea. Aiger will probably be back a bit later."
After John sat at the table, he picked up the tea and drank it while watching Aileen work.
"Madam, what do you do for a living?" John asked curiously.
"I'm a stockbroker," Aileen said without lifting her head.
After a long while, John said, "Madam, I actually came to see you today. I'd like to invite you to my graduation dance."
"I can see that, but is it really okay to invite me? After all, I'm not young anymore," Aileen seemed somewhat swayed.
"If you didn't say anything, I would have thought you were Aiger's sister, and our dance is fantastic!" John quickly pressed on.
"Alright, I agree." Aiger's mother hadn't been to a dance in a long time, so she readily agreed.
After adding Aileen as a friend, John left Aiger's house.
On the day of the dance, John stood in the hall entrance in a suit, as if waiting for someone.
Just then, a voice John disliked sounded nearby.
"Hey, isn't this our farm boy? I heard you're bringing your mom to the dance," Aiger Yang said smugly.
His beautiful dance partner and a Black student in a suit next to him burst into laughter at the remark.
"Very funny, Aiger, but I think you misunderstood. I'm bringing your mother, not my mother," John said, placing a hand on his chest, then looked expectantly to the side.
A very beautiful mature woman walked over. The passage of time had given this woman something young women didn't possess, full of charm.
Aiger's mother naturally walked over, took John's arm, and said, "Hi, dear, isn't this fun? John is a very good person."
"Mother?" Aiger next to them gasped in horror.
"See you on the dance floor later, dear." After saying that, Aiger's mother, arm-in-arm with John, went to the dance floor.
On the dance floor, John and Mrs. Yang danced passionately.
The entire dance was filled with youthful energy and dynamic music, with all the couples dancing passionately.
After everything was done, John and Aileen (Aiger's mother) sat at a table, drinking beverages together.
"This dance was wonderful. I feel like it made me many years younger, and of course, you were great too, John," Aileen said, looking at John.
John likewise looked at Aileen: "You've always been young, Aileen. You should be more confident. You're no less than those other girls. Just look at Aiger, he's so outstanding, it must be because you raised him well." After saying these words, John seemed to have something on his mind and secretly sighed.
Aileen saw all of this in her eyes, held John's hand, and looked at him, saying, "If you have something on your mind, you can tell me."
"Forget it, Aileen," John said, feigning difficulty.
"I'm serious, you really can tell me. I'm a very good listener," Aileen said to John.
Seeing Aileen's enthusiasm, John secretly rejoiced and feigned difficulty, saying, "Actually, after tonight, I'm leaving here. I got into State University, and my adoptive parents said they'd have me move out after the dance, but I..." John hesitated, leaving his sentence unfinished.
Aileen seemed to understand John's predicament and said, "I have a house in New York that I'm about to rent out, but it's very close to Hell's Kitchen."
John understood Aileen's implied meaning and proactively said, "I don't care about that, but I'll need a few days to pay you the rent. If you can agree to that, it would be great."
"Alright, I agree, John, but..." Aileen said, looking at John.
Day
A Chevrolet stopped near John's house, and John got out of the car.
"John, hurry and pack your bags. I'll wait for you here," Aileen said tiredly to John.
John returned home to find his luggage already packed. Lucas looked at John with guilt, told him to call if he needed money, then went back to his room.
New York
Aileen led John into the room and introduced the house to him: "The rent here is quite cheap because it's just one street away from Hell's Kitchen, so the rent is much cheaper per month. However, the Public Security is a bit bad. The rent for these few months can be delayed for a few days, but not after that, though it's not entirely non-negotiable." After saying that, Aileen patted John's butt, winked, and swayed away.
After Aileen left, John showed disdain and thought, "So easy to trick. But Soldier Boy was right, women are like fine wine, but I always feel like I'm the one getting the short end of the stick."
By the window, John looked at Hell's Kitchen, thinking it was time to borrow some money to spend.