Look! There's a dog there!

Chapter 39 Look! There's a dog there!

However, after staying at home for a few days, Ethan found Thomas unlovable again.

Because Thomas brings a group of people home every day.

Thomas would boast to his neighbors, friends from the town, and playmates, but no matter who they were, he would tell them about his past and introduce Ethan, who had been featured in the Los Angeles Times.

I can tolerate this kind of thing for a day or two, and I can manage for three or four days, but if it happens five days a week with different dishes every time...

"Oh! You actually managed to put up with this for five days?"

"Ethan! I really admire you!"

"I didn't even last three days! I packed my things and ran away!"

Evelyn's surprised voice came through the phone.

Yes, Ethan didn't see Evelyn when he got home this time.

The reason is simple: Evelyn was exhausted after being dragged into meeting a bunch of so-called friends by her father.

Since it was graduation season and many of her classmates were organizing trips, Evelyn took the opportunity to slip away and go out with them, only calling back every few days to let them know she was safe.

Linda answered the phone the day before yesterday. Evelyn said she was in Seattle and was going to see the Heartbeats with her classmates that night. Ethan answered the phone today, and as soon as he started talking, he couldn't stand it anymore and started complaining like crazy.

"So now I'm getting ready to run away too~"

Ethan covered the microphone, leaned against the wall, and cautiously said while glancing around, "I can't take it anymore. Thomas is just too enthusiastic. He always has to introduce me to his friends."

"You know what? Many times, I feel like a monkey in a circus!"

"Whenever Thomas waves a banana, I wave and 'hehehe' at his friends!"

"No! He's even worse than the circus keeper! Because he doesn't have any bananas in his hand!"

"Goose, goose, goose~" The incredibly vivid metaphor made Evelyn on the other end of the phone burst into laughter.

"Oh~Oh~Oh~" The almost suffocating sound was an expression of joy.

After a long while, Evelyn finally managed to control her emotions. "Ethan, run! I support you! Don't I know Thomas's temper? He can talk about something happy for a whole month! And he'll explain it in different styles, from different perspectives, and from different angles! You really have to admire him sometimes, admire how much he can talk!"

"Yes, yes, I know that too." Ethan nodded empathetically. "Actually, I've already packed my things. If I hadn't been waiting for your call, I would have left a long time ago."

"Huh? Waiting for my call?" Evelyn asked, puzzled. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course!" Ethan said, "Our 'Snake Game' has been a success, hasn't it? It's been installed on over four thousand machines, and even the Los Angeles Times reported on it. So, I was thinking, shouldn't we prepare some gifts for your teacher? And of course, we should also give Barbara a big thank you."

The United States is a society where personal connections play a crucial role in everything you do.

For example, recommendation letters for college admissions are actually more useful than grades.

It's just that, for various reasons, those who have vested interests will not allow the media to publicize such things.

Therefore, in Ethan's view, celebrating the success of Snake Game with those around him and thanking those who helped is essential. Regardless of whether those people were actually helpful or whether gratitude is warranted, as long as you feel comfortable with them, they will certainly share in the glory of your success.

Although this may sound materialistic, we are all adults, so it's better to be pragmatic.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

After a long pause, Evelyn finally smiled. "Ethan."

"Um?"

"You've thought of everything."

"Thanks."

"Okay, let's talk about this when I get back in July. Before I left at the beginning of this month, I already spoke with the teachers and Barbara. They know I came here to escape the troubles at home, so they're all understanding. They're also happy for my success," Evelyn said. "So, we definitely have to have a party, and we'll discuss the details when I get back. Besides, the profit sharing hasn't been finalized yet, so we can't exactly ask Thomas for money to buy gifts, can we? Although he'll definitely give us some."

"Okay, we'll talk about that later. Have a great trip."

"Oh, thank you. I hope you can escape from my dad's place soon too."

After reaching an agreement with Evelyn, Ethan said goodbye to his family.

When the news of leaving home again reached Thomas's ears, this middle-aged man was extremely reluctant to part ways.

But Ethan can run faster than anyone else.

I got in the car, stepped on the gas, and he sped away, driving me crazy with annoyance.

In the blink of an eye, the Chevrolet sped off toward San Francisco.

In fact, after Ethan returned home, Linda told him that during the time he was away, a guy who claimed to be the owner of an electronics supply company in San Francisco would call him frequently to ask if he was home.

He was very disappointed whenever he received a "No" answer from Thomas or Linda.

She repeatedly said that when Ethan returned, she would definitely tell him that she was happy for him and had prepared a gift for him.

After learning about this, Ethan did consider calling back, but Thomas was just too popular. Ethan was too busy dealing with all those uncles and elders to think about anything else, and he simply forgot about it.

So when Ethan decided to run away from home for a while, his first target was Mr. Forberle's shop.

There was nothing we could do; Ethan had been there before.

The environment of the shops downstairs and the accommodations upstairs is quite good.

When Ethan once again arrived in San Francisco, a city he didn't like, and appeared in front of the electronics supply company, Mr. Foberle, who was idly lounging at the cash register, immediately jumped up.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then ran out screaming, "Oh brother! Is this God dressed as you? What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" Ethan was completely bewildered by Mr. Forbes's words. "Didn't you call for me? And said you had a gift?"

"Yay! I did look for you!"

Mr. Foberle nodded his head like a woodpecker, excitedly saying, "When I discovered the 'Snake Game' console on the streets of San Francisco, I knew you'd succeeded. I wanted to call you and celebrate, but your aunt and uncle always answered the phone. Later, when I saw the Los Angeles Times report on 'Snake Game,' I understood why you were so busy. Your game had spread throughout California! It was selling all over the world! I called again to congratulate you, but your aunt and uncle kept telling me you weren't home… At that point, I even thought you'd forgotten about me! But then… Oh my God! You actually came!"

Mr. Foberle recited over a hundred words in one breath.

Ethan was exhausted just looking at his panting appearance.

He waved and got out of the car.

Then, as if returning home, he walked into the other person's shop, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Mr. Foberle.

As expected, Mr. Foberle instinctively raised his hand.

However, before he could catch it, Ethan took the cup back and gulped it down in one go.

'???'

This performance left Mr. Foberle stunned on the spot.

Ethan shrugged and said, "You call me 'brother' to my face, but you don't trust me at all."

"You think I'll ignore you now that I'm famous?"

"Oh! I'm so heartbroken! I never imagined you could think so badly of me!"

Ethan looked sad.

Mr. Foberle rubbed his hands together and said, "No~No~No~Brother, you know I didn't mean that."

Ethan ignored him, put down his cup, and walked straight out.

"Hey! I was wrong! I apologize to you, okay!" Mr. Forbes shouted.

"Really?" Ethan stopped in his tracks.

"Really!" Mr. Fobley answered affirmatively.

"Okay, then to show you're sincere, I've decided to test you a bit," Ethan said. "I've been wanting to stay in San Francisco lately, but I don't have a place to rent, so I'm staying with you."

"Sure!" Mr. Fobley replied crisply. "Treat this place as your own home! Stay as long as you like!"

"?" This time it was Ethan's turn to be puzzled.

Because he didn't expect this guy to be so easy to talk to.

He was clearly trying to trick this guy, so why do I feel like I've fallen for his trick?

Just as Ethan blinked, looking at the other person with some doubt, trying to find some clues...

Mr. Foberle slapped his forehead again and said, "Oh right, I prepared a gift for you!"

While they were talking, Mr. Forberle invited Ethan back into the shop and asked him to sit at the front door for a while. Then he went into his back storeroom, rummaged around for a bit, and came out carrying a box.

It was a black lacquered wooden box with the Parker logo painted on it.

Ethan took it, opened it, and saw the pure black logo of the Century series, which made him smile.

"Wow~ Thank you, I really like it."

Ethan appreciated the thoughtfulness behind Mr. Forbes' gift.

It's worth noting that this collector's edition Parker pen has a market price of $79.99.

It would take a normal person a week of saving money without eating or drinking to afford it.

And Mr. Fober gave it away right away?

That's incredibly generous!

However, before Ethan could properly express his gratitude, Mr. Forbes pulled out a briefcase-sized package from behind his back.

After disassembling it, a slightly smaller flax-colored wooden board was taken out. Around the edge of the board, a lifelike snake was carved, chasing its own tail.

In the middle of the board, there is a piece of white paper.

It seems that you can write on it.

When Ethan saw the board, he felt something was wrong.

After Mr. Foberle, with a smile, pushed the board in front of him and gestured to the pen in a friendly manner...

Ethan's forehead immediately broke out in a million black lines!

"You gave me a fountain pen, are you trying to get me to sign it?"

Ethan was shocked.

"Yeah~" Mr. Foberle replied naturally, "A testament to friendship!"

"..."

!!!

"Holy shit! You're a real dog!"

Ethan thought he had already been shameless enough in his tricking of Mr. Foberle, but he never expected that there would be someone even more shameless than him.

"Hooray! Is this how you want to celebrate?" Ethan was almost laughing in exasperation.

"Of course! In my eyes, you are an artist! Is it wrong for me to ask an artist for an autograph?" Mr. Foberle perfectly demonstrated what shamelessness is.

"If you think I'm an artist, why don't you collect my work?" Ethan shouted. "Shouldn't you just unfurl a Snake Game arcade machine in front of me and have me sign it?"

Mr. Foberle shrugged and said, "Oh, brother, it's too expensive, twelve hundred dollars."

"..."

Ethan almost choked on his breath upon hearing the honest words.

His vision went black, and he finally surrendered.

"Alright, alright, I admire you. I, Ethan Jones, admire you!"

"I'll sign it for you, I'll sign it for you, okay?"

Ethan pulled out his pen and scribbled something on the board.

Frank, however, treasured it, setting it on a shelf and displaying it in the window behind the cashier, saying with satisfaction, "Now, I can finally tell people that my store has been frequented by celebrities!"

"Because the game 'Snake Game' was made using materials I provided!"

Ethan shook his head repeatedly at the childish words, humming twice, "If you think I have a celebrity effect, then you are completely wrong. I'm just a game developer, and I have absolutely nothing to do with someone like you who sells materials. Nobody cares about that."

"Really? I don't think so. I believe you've already attracted a lot of attention because you have the ability."

Mr. Former's approval brought a slight smile to Ethan's lips.

To be honest, although he puts on a tough front, he actually quite enjoys this kind of adulation.

no way!

In this life, what we pursue is nothing more than fame and fortune!

However, while Ethan Jones remained silent and enjoyed the pleasures that fame and fortune brought him, just as Mr. Forbes had said, a discussion about him was unfolding in Scokey, Illinois, about two thousand miles away.

In Mirova's office, an elderly man over sixty years old raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with endless doubt and anger. His wrinkled lips barely touched the ground, and his cold voice filled the surroundings—

"I want to know, is this the investigation result you gave me?"

(End of this chapter)