At Kent Farm.
"Five scarecrows, two buckets of milk, fifteen baby bottles, Clark has initially mastered his talents."
Eric poured a glass of juice, took a sip, and said to his parents, "Although he is somewhat clumsy, he is not hopeless."
"You've done an excellent job as a teacher, Eric."
Jonathan patted Eric on the shoulder, praising him.
Clark, standing to the side, felt a bit dejected.
With such rapid mastery, shouldn't he be the one most deserving of praise?
Clark quickly put away his feelings and prepared to demonstrate his control for his parents.
A row of candles was placed on the round table. He took a deep breath and, fully focused, looked at the candles.
Poof!
The flame of the first candle was lit.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Then the second, third, and fourth candles were ignited.
Clark easily used his heat vision to light the row of candles on the table.
"Once I know how to trigger the heat, I can control it freely without thinking..."
"Sex!"
Before Clark could finish his boastful words, while using his heat vision to light the last candle, he failed to control the intensity, causing the flame to flare up!
Jonathan and Martha were startled.
"Uh..."
Feeling embarrassed, Clark glanced at Eric and then explained to his parents sheepishly, "Occasionally, there's a little mishap."
Jonathan and Martha exchanged a look, now seriously doubting Clark's ability to control his powers.
It seemed Eric's guidance for Clark was still a long journey ahead.
The next day.
Eric received a phone call at home.
After a brief conversation, he hung up the phone.
"The thing I dread most is seeing black smoke coming out of the tractor exhaust pipe."
Jonathan walked in with oily hands, complaining to Eric and Martha, "That means the tractor's engine has a significant problem, and our current budget doesn't support replacing an engine."
"Or it could be an issue with the fuel injector, the adjustment of the plunger, or the quality of the nozzle atomization."
Eric casually suggested to his father after putting down the phone.
"Mm-hmm."
Jonathan and Martha exchanged a look and laughed, "I'm now convinced our son could easily pass the mechanical engineering exam."
"I don't think Eric would be interested in being a tractor repairman."
Martha, who was making a fruit salad, asked her husband, "Is Clark still practicing in the backyard?"
"Yes, he seems to be getting more adept."
Jonathan washed the engine oil off his hands with soap, "Eric's warm milk practice method is quite clever. It kills two birds with one stone, allowing Clark to practice controlling his power while acting as a free heater."
Martha thought this idea was terrible, "It wastes a lot of milk."
"It does seem that way."
Jonathan nodded, "Clark thinks so too, so he has to be very careful with his heat vision to avoid damaging the containers and wasting milk."
After explaining to his wife, Jonathan wiped his hands with a towel and asked Eric, "Who was on the phone, Eric?"
"The Metropolis University Press. They told me the first edition of the hardcover book is now on sale. The royalties, first reprint rights, and book club rights—all the royalty shares should come in soon."
Eric explained to his parents.
"So soon?" Jonathan was surprised.
"And they told me Lex Luthor helped a bit."
"Lex?"
Hearing the name "Lex Luthor," Jonathan frowned.
He wanted to say something, but seeing his wife's warning look, he held back and instead walked over to pat Eric on the shoulder, "No matter what, your mom and I are proud of you, Eric."
"Thank you."
Eric thanked his parents and added, "One more thing, the publisher wants to hold a book signing event at the school, but I declined."
"You don't like it?"
Martha put down the fruit salad and asked her younger son.
"I don't like such public appearances."
Eric casually placed the finished newspaper into the storage cabinet, "I'm equally interested in being a writer as I am in being a tractor repairman."
Jonathan understood, "A work should be close to its readers, while a writer should keep a distance. Sometimes maintaining that distance is a good thing."
Although Eric didn't hold a book signing at Smallville High, the gossip-loving high school students soon learned about it.
On campus, Chloe curiously asked Clark, "Do you know why Eric refused the book signing, Clark?"
"I don't know. Maybe he doesn't like signing autographs."
Clark rubbed his eyes, looking a bit tired.
He had been practicing controlling his heat vision lately and had little interest in anything else.
"He doesn't seem like the type to seek the limelight."
Chloe nodded, "I've read his writings. That kind of imagination is beyond ordinary people. The style is like those documentary literary reports, with the protagonist as a reporter exploring dark and terrifying secrets, giving a very immersive feeling!"
As Chloe spoke more and more excitedly, Clark and Pete exchanged a helpless look.
Just as Chloe was enthusiastically expressing her admiration for Eric's work, she noticed Eric following Mrs. Atkins into the office.
"Oh, our canary teacher seems to have taken an interest in Eric too."
Chloe said somewhat jealously.
Eric and Atkins, seen by Chloe, entered the empty biology office.
Eric frowned at the woman before him, "I don't think it's worth calling me here just for a performance evaluation form, Mrs. Atkins."
Dressed in a sultry dress, Atkins didn't respond immediately. She walked to the office door and gently locked it.
Then, she walked seductively back to Eric, licking her lips.
"You can call me Mrs. Atkins in public, but at other times, I prefer you call me Desiree."
She flipped her voluminous hair and took a step closer to Eric.
"I've read your book, Eric. It's full of imaginative science fiction. No one can match your talent in this area. Lex also speaks highly of you."
"You know Lex Luthor?"
"Of course, but today's conversation isn't about Lex. It's about you. I like young men like you, full of mystery, just like your book—dark and profound, waiting for me to explore. Though sometimes inexperienced, you make up for it with enthusiasm."
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Also I will start being true to the two chapters a day I took a small break because of a few family problems