Kent Farm.
"Five thousand dollars?"
Clark looked at the check in Jonathan's hand, his eyes narrowing.
"The people from Metropolis University Press told me I could cash this check at the bank they work with."
Jonathan smiled as he spoke to Martha, "I now believe that Eric's book is very popular. The publisher even paid him in advance, which means it must be doing well. I should re-read it sometime."
"I don't think you have much literary appreciation, Jonathan."
Martha carefully took the check from Jonathan, "We need to keep this safe. With this money, we won't have to worry about college expenses for Eric and Clark."
"I don't need Eric's money to go to college."
Clark walked lazily up to his parents, "Baseball, basketball star, I can make a lot of money instantly if I want to."
"We agreed, Clark, you can't do that!"
Jonathan's brow furrowed as he looked at Clark, who was gently stroking the ruby ring on his finger, "And Clark, we also agreed that you couldn't buy that ring."
"I thought..."
Clark turned his back to his parents as he packed up his things, his face showing a nonchalant expression, "I could make my own decisions."
"That's because we trust you to make the right decisions, but that ring is expensive."
Clark, who had always been calm, suddenly exploded.
He turned to his father, suppressing the anger and violence in his heart, "You have a five thousand dollar check in your hand, but you're criticizing me for spending 350 dollars. Because it's Eric's money, not mine. You and Mom always hold me to high standards but indulge Eric's behavior because you're biased against me! Let me tell you something—I will never be constrained by money, nor will I cater to your unreasonable demands!"
The air froze for a moment, and Jonathan and Martha were completely stunned!
They never expected Clark to say such things!
"Clark, go wash up and get ready for dinner."
Martha tried to smooth things over.
"I'm not hungry, and I need to get back to the farm!"
After saying something rather rude to his parents, Clark used his super speed and left the room in an instant.
"What was that all about?"
Jonathan asked his wife in a daze after a moment.
Martha shrugged, "I think our super son is still a rebellious teenager at heart."
"That's clearly not a rebellion issue. He seemed driven by anger and aggression, both in words and actions."
Jonathan said, confused, "It looks like he was complaining and venting all his dissatisfaction with us."
"Maybe Clark is just in a bad mood. We all have bad days, right, Jonathan?"
Martha patiently persuaded her husband, "You can't just lecture him. That might make things worse."
Jonathan didn't speak, just nodded.
In his heart, he thought perhaps his lecturing had caused Clark to lose control of his emotions for a moment.
But he soon realized he was wrong.
The next morning, Jonathan received a phone call. After a serious conversation with the caller, he hung up.
"What happened?"
Martha noticed her husband's unusual expression and asked worriedly.
"The bank confirmed our expenses last night. Our check, the five thousand dollars Eric earned, was used for a big purchase last night."
Jonathan walked towards their room, "But the check is clearly in our hands. How is that possible?"
"It can't be..."
Martha put down the sausages she was frying, a worried expression on her face, "Clark, could it?"
Before she could finish, a piercing electronic noise came from outside.
The two walked to the window and looked out.
The electronic music noise was coming from Clark's secret hideout.
With a sense of bewilderment, they headed towards the barn.
Entering the barn, they were hit by the blaring rock music.
Clark's secret base was filled with all sorts of things that rebellious rock youths would love.
Lightning balls, police lights, a super recorder, luxury speakers...
Martha noticed a jacket draped over a chair and touched it. It was made of high-quality silk.
"This kind of clothing costs at least a thousand dollars."
Martha looked at her husband in shock.
The couple looked up at Clark on the second floor of the barn and saw him engrossed in a video game.
"Clark!"
Jonathan walked up to Clark and questioned him, "What are you doing?!"
"As you can see, I bought some cool stuff from Eddie's store in Metropolis, which is open 24 hours. I thought I deserved some super cool things, don't you think?"
Clark put down the game controller and turned off the rock music, speaking calmly.
"Clark Kent, you stole our money. That isn't even our money, it's Eric's royalties!"
Jonathan's anger nearly overflowed, but he still tried to control his emotions.
"So what?"
Clark stood up, "What's the big deal? I'll pay it back later. Eric has plenty of money. Although I don't know where he hides it, this amount is nothing to him. By the way, if I could find those valuable things in his room, I wouldn't have touched the check."
Jonathan fought the urge to hit him and heavily patted the chair, "Not only did you steal money, but you also went through someone else's things without permission. Let me tell you how serious your mistake is, Clark Kent. I want you to return all this junk! Now!"
"Are you sure?"
Clark sneered.
"Of course, after you return this junk, we need to talk about what's wrong with you! Your attitude, your behavior, your thoughts now—I want to understand why you've become such a disappointment!"
"Do as you wish. You can talk about anything, but sorry, Dad, I don't have time for you!"
Clark put on his new leather jacket, waved at his parents, and disappeared in a flash.
Outside, the roar of a motorcycle engine was heard.
The couple looked outside and saw Clark on a brand-new motorcycle.
He put on sunglasses, twisted the throttle, and sped away.
Watching Clark's departing figure, Martha covered her face with her hand, her eyes glistening with tears.
She didn't understand why her usually obedient eldest son had become like this.
Jonathan withdrew his gaze from Clark's figure and put his arm around his wife's shoulder.
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