He lowered his eyes, feeling extremely resistant to the idea of staying at a stranger’s house, planning to politely decline at the dinner table later.

　　Putting aside her unreliable son, Helen Carter had a very nice demeanor. She wore a light coffee-colored cashmere dress, looking bright and poised.

　　She was very outgoing, without a trace of reserve or formality. As soon as Laura Bennett called her "auntie," she pulled him to wash his hands and sat him down at the dining table.

　　Helen Carter smiled warmly, “You must be exhausted from the flight, right? Let me tell you, being at auntie’s place is just like being home. As the saying goes, dumplings when you get on the train, noodles when you get off. I spent the whole afternoon making this bowl of noodles—come, have a taste.”

　　In the white porcelain bowl, abalone and white clams were stewed in golden broth, looking fresh and appetizing, completely covering the handmade noodles underneath. Helen Carter handed the chopsticks to Laura Bennett, and thoughtfully placed a fork by his hand as well.

　　After thanking her, Laura Bennett had just picked up the chopsticks when he suddenly heard Helen Carter sigh with emotion.

　　“You really look so much like Ethan Shaw.” She said softly, “Back in school, she used to say she wanted to have a handsome son, well-educated and polite, someone she’d be proud to take out. Now it seems her wish really came true—she married someone she loved and had such a wonderful son. Heaven has treated her well.”

　　Laura Bennett's hand, resting on his leg, trembled slightly.

　　Laura Bennett's mother was named Ethan Shaw. Four or five months after she passed away, while sorting through her belongings, Laura Bennett discovered the journals she had been writing in over the past twenty years.

　　The things Helen Carter said, Laura Bennett had seen similar words on those yellowed pages.

　　Those fading ink marks gave him a glimpse of the youthful innocence in his mother that he had never known, but time had already taken her from his side forever.

　　Because of this trip down memory lane, Laura Bennett swallowed back the excuse he had prepared.

　　“Lanlan.” Helen Carter asked gently, “Your dad said you want to take the college entrance exam here, and don’t want to get British citizenship anymore?”

　　Laura Bennett wasn’t sure how much James Bennett had told her about their father-son conflicts, so he just gave a vague “mm.”

　　“Then auntie will help you contact the school. You can’t fall behind in your studies, so let’s get you started as soon as possible.”

　　Laura Bennett was a bit surprised—he had thought James Bennett had found someone to persuade him.

　　Helen Carter sent a few messages on her phone and asked Laura Bennett, “What grade are you in?”

　　Laura Bennett hesitated for a moment, “Probably the equivalent of the second year of high school here.”

　　“So, same as Buddy. What classes are you taking?”

　　“It’s an elective system. I chose math, physics, chemistry, and economics.”

　　“Which subject are you best at?”

　　“Math, I guess.”

　　Laura Bennett quickly added, “But Chinese would definitely be my weakest here.”

　　Helen Carter made an “ok” gesture. “Your dad said you never changed your citizenship, so your household registration is still here. Coincidentally, the new semester for the second year starts tomorrow. The principal agreed to let you sit in with Buddy's class for a couple of days, and after the placement test, we’ll see which class suits you best.”

　　Laura Bennett had looked into the domestic education system before, so he nodded and thanked her.

　　Helen Carter switched to an empress-like tone and asked Brian Clark, “How are the classes being divided this time?”

　　Brian Clark slouched in his seat, scrolling on his phone, and replied carelessly, “For science, there are two A classes: one is the traditional A, which takes the top fifty overall scores; the other is the math and science A, aimed at those preparing for next year’s independent admissions, taking the top thirty in math and physics. If you meet both, you get priority for math and science A. The rest are sorted into classes of fifty by total score.”

　　He spoke slowly, perhaps afraid Helen Carter wouldn’t understand, or maybe he wanted to make sure Laura Bennett got it too.

　　Helen Carter nodded, “Most of your Class Four will get into math and science A, right?”

　　Brian Clark grunted, “The class name will change, a few at the bottom will be moved out, but the teachers stay the same.”

　　Laura Bennett understood—Class Four must be the top class right now.

　　Who would have thought? Someone who can’t even tell boys from girls is actually in the best class.

　　Helen Carter turned back to Laura Bennett, “Aim to get into the top 300. I’ve asked around before—actually, the teacher allocation for the top 300 is pretty good.”

　　Top 300.

　　Laura Bennett felt a jolt inside and straightened his back.

　　“How many students are there in total?”

　　Helen Carter sighed, “This year’s full—over six hundred in the science track.”

　　“……”

　　It seemed they had some misconceptions about his grades.

　　As Laura Bennett was thinking about how to correct this misunderstanding, Helen Carter suddenly looked at Brian Clark, her gentle expression vanishing.

　　“By the way, what about the cake I asked you to order?”

　　Laura Bennett froze, and after realizing what was happening, instinctively curled his fingers, also looking at Brian Clark.

　　Brian Clark served himself another bowl of noodles, lowered his head and slurped them up, mumbling indifferently, “Oh, I forgot.”

　　“Forgot?!” Helen Carter's voice shot up, “Can’t you be a little more reliable?! I only gave you two tasks: first, pick someone up at the airport; second, order a cake. You can’t even handle that?!”

　　Helen Carter started scolding him, while Brian Clark rubbed his ears and kept his head down, eating in silence.

　　Laura Bennett actually felt relieved. Having a birthday together the first time they met would have been way too awkward, so in a way, he felt grateful for Brian Clark's indifference.

　　Just as he relaxed, the door lock beeped, and Little Martin, who had said he was leaving, came back, carrying a big white box.

　　“Buddy, I’m not saying anything, but how could you leave the cake in the trunk? Luckily, I remembered before I drove too far. What are we going to do with you?”

　　Brian Clark: “……”