Jinghu Garden Complex.
As Eric entered the house, he heard the sound of the upstairs security door closing.
After casually shutting his own door, he looked towards the backyard where his mother was busy, and curiously asked, "Mom, did Aunt Emma from upstairs come back?"
"No, Emma's son bought a big house in Tianyuan Garden. She's been busy taking care of her newborn grandchild and hasn't had time to come back." His mother, Melissa, said while picking vegetables, "The apartment's been rented out. It was just rented today."
"Oh." Eric didn't pay much attention to this matter and smiled, "When I get into knight school, we'll get a bigger house too."
Melissa smiled, "If you get into knight school, why would we need a bigger house? You won't be living at home anymore. Your father, your sister, and I have plenty of space here."
"This old house is still too small." Eric shook his head. "Don't count on any redevelopment. I bet it won't happen for another ten years."
The residents of Jinghu Garden had been hoping for redevelopment for years. They'd rather rent out their homes than sell them, as rumors of demolition spread every year. The buildings were over thirty years old and should have been redeveloped long ago, but the complex had seen no progress, and it seemed unlikely to happen anytime soon. Eric felt a bit helpless thinking about it.
As they were chatting, the sound of a key turning in the door came from outside. His sister, Amy, hurriedly entered the house.
As soon as Amy opened the door, she bent down to change her shoes in a rush, nearly bumping into Eric, who was also changing his shoes. Eric was about to snap at her when Amy yelped, "Eric, what are you doing? You nearly scared me to death!"
Eric looked at his sister in disbelief, thinking how absurd it was. She had almost knocked him over, yet now she was accusing him.
Not bothering to argue with her, Eric finished changing his shoes and walked into the living room. Amy quickly changed her shoes and followed, asking curiously, "How did you get home earlier than me today?"
"The school organized a lecture for the knight exam. Once it was over, I came straight home."
"Was it William King who gave the lecture?"
"You know about that?" Eric was surprised. Since when were middle schoolers interested in these things?
Amy grinned proudly, "Of course I know. A classmate of mine has a sister at your school. She even asked her sister to get William King's autograph. I wonder if she got it."
As Amy spoke, her excitement grew. "Did you see William King?"
"Of course I did. I was the one who picked him up from the station."
"Really?" Amy's eyes filled with regret. "Why didn't you tell me earlier!"
Eric thought she wanted to meet a celebrity and scoffed, "What's the big deal? He's not even that good-looking, and I'm better looking than he is."
"You're such an idiot!" Amy gave Eric a disdainful look, as if he had no brains.
"If you'd told me you were picking up William King, I would have given you a notebook to get his autograph! So many people at my school idolize him, especially the knights. Even knights with some fame can be popular. One autograph could sell for ten bucks! Get a few hundred signatures, and we'd be rich!"
Eric was dumbfounded. What was going through his sister's head? Other people get autographs as keepsakes, but she just wanted to sell them!
Still feeling regretful that she hadn't known earlier, Amy asked again, "Is he still in town? If he hasn't left yet, you should go get a few autographs, and I'll sell them at school. We'll split the money seventy-thirty."
"Seventy for me?" Eric asked, unable to resist.
"Thirty for you!" Amy replied without hesitation.
"You little money-grubber, scamming your own brother—this isn't the first time!" Eric couldn't help but laugh.
"No choice, opportunity knocks but once." Amy muttered, "Has he left town already? If not, hurry up and get some autographs. We could be making money right now."
"He left a while ago. No way to get autographs now." Eric shook his head. "Besides, I wouldn't want to embarrass myself like that."
"Tch!" Amy muttered in disappointment, "What's so embarrassing about it? A few thousand bucks would last me a whole year—my tuition would be covered."
Eric didn't argue further, though he felt a bit of regret himself. He hadn't thought of the idea at the time; otherwise, he might have actually made some money. Of course, William King might not have agreed to sign hundreds of autographs.
While the siblings were chatting, Melissa, who was in the kitchen, asked curiously, "William King, is he the one who got into knight school last year?"
"Mom, you know about him too?" Eric was even more surprised. A first-year knight student was already becoming a celebrity.
Melissa smiled, "I visited your school once, and the teachers mentioned him. I think that's the name, though I'm not sure."
In this era, getting into a knight academy was more prestigious than getting into a top university in the previous world. Especially someone like William King, who had achieved success against the odds, had become a household name.
Seeing that even his mother knew about William King, Eric's mind began to spin, and he suddenly smiled, "Mom, since you know about William King, this will be easier to explain. Today, when I picked him up, he had an extra vitality pill from knight school. He said he didn't need it, so he sold it to me for a cheap price."
The room suddenly fell silent as Amy gave her brother a skeptical look, thinking, *This sounds like complete nonsense.*
But Eric continued nonchalantly, "Since he's a knight school student, I figured the stuff they give out must be good, so I bought it for 20,000 yuan and took it right then and there. It worked wonders! William King even said I have a good chance of getting into knight school this year."
"Really?" Melissa was stunned. Her son had bought a pill from William King and taken it on the spot? And William King had said he had a shot at knight school? This was huge! In her mind, anything said by a knight student was more trustworthy than anything else. Melissa could hardly believe her ears.
Amy, on the other hand, scrutinized Eric like a detective, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. As someone who knew Eric well, Amy's gut told her he was lying. How could it be such a coincidence? You want to buy medicine, and he just happens to have some for sale?
Though suspicious, Amy had no evidence and didn't push further. However, she silently vowed to become Sherlock Holmes and uncover her brother's secrets.
Despite Amy's doubts, Melissa believed her son. Hearing that even William King thought Eric had a chance of getting into knight school, her face lit up with joy, and she went back to her chores with even more enthusiasm.
Once Melissa was back in the kitchen, Amy immediately grabbed Eric, who was trying to slip away, and fiercely asked, "Tell the truth—are you lying?"
Eric rolled his eyes and replied, "Who's lying? If you don't believe me, go ask William King yourself. Besides, the truth will come out after the physical exam. I'm definitely getting into knight school this year! And when you're short on money, I'll sign autographs for you to sell!"
"Something still feels off..." Amy muttered, though she wasn't foolish enough to actually confront William King.
Although she still felt her brother's story was fishy, Amy finally said, "Whatever you do, don't do anything stupid!"
"Don't worry, your brother's an honest man." Eric chuckled and squeezed Amy's cheek playfully. "Can't you have a little faith in me?"
"I want to believe you can get into knight school, but if you can, then everyone else can too!" Amy grumbled.
"Ouch!" Amy hadn't finished her sentence before Eric pinched her cheek harder, leaving her looking aggrieved as she glared at him. Eric thought to himself, *Do you really think your brother is that bad?*
The siblings bickered back and forth until their father came home, and Eric repeated the whole story again.
As long as his parents didn't run into William King, his lie would be flawless—perfect.
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