"Where were you wrong?" Dean asked.

"I shouldn't have skipped class and made you worry." She honestly spoke her mind.

"That's not it." Dean shook her head.

"I skipped class and didn't cherish the hard-won opportunity to study. I let myself down."

Still shaking her head.

At this point, David Carter experienced the age-old dilemma boyfriends face when coaxing their girlfriends—what exactly did you do wrong?

She would never get it right, would she.

She sniffled, thinking maybe she should just cry. But the feeling was only discomfort, and she couldn't cry at all.

They were at a stalemate for a while.

Finally, the woman behind the desk let out a gentle sigh and said to her, "It's fine, if you can't figure it out, just forget it. Go back."

David Carter's legs stayed rooted to the spot; in any case, she couldn't move.

At that moment, a gentle voice sounded: "If you don't leave, then I'm going to get off work."

With that, the Dean's Mother of Hongxing Welfare Home stood up. She picked up her bag from the coat rack and really just left the room, clocking out for the day.

Chapter 9 Expectation

Only the desk lamp was on in the room.

David Carter sat cross-legged in Dean's office, feeling like she'd been played. This trick was called—"You did something wrong but didn't get scolded, so you feel deeply guilty on your own."

She always felt she didn't belong in this world, so she didn't need to be responsible for anyone or anything here. But just now, the disappointed look in Dean's Mother's eyes was still deeply imprinted in her mind.

Little David Carter, such a rebellious kid, what on earth makes you worthy of such high expectations...

She scratched her head, unable to figure out what exactly she'd done wrong. She hadn't eaten lunch or dinner, and her stomach was growling. So she thought, at most, she just wouldn't skip school tomorrow—she'd go to class and then look for Old Carter.

Thinking this, David Carter happened to catch sight of a little kid outside the office, holding a bowl, peeking in but too scared to enter.

Seeing that face, she stopped herself from standing up. She switched hands, propped her chin with one hand, elbow on her knee, and drawled coldly, "James Carter sir, may I ask what business you have?"

"Xi, Xi-ge!" The little boy ran in and squatted in front of her, fawning.

Only then did David Carter notice that the bowl the little boy brought contained two plain steamed buns and a salted duck egg.

"Dean's Mother asked me to bring this to you," said little James Carter.

Now that he was closer, in the dim light of the desk lamp, David Carter noticed that James Carter had a cleft lip. Because the repair surgery wasn't perfect, his fawning smile looked a bit fierce. But to David Carter, it was absolutely adorable. She reached out and pinched the little boy's ear, saying, "Thank you."

James Carter was flattered and blurted out, "Xi-ge, did you time travel?"

David Carter had just stuffed a bun in her mouth and almost spat it out: "What are you talking about!"

"That TV show 'A Love Through Time and Space' that's been airing lately—when people act weird, it means they've time traveled."

"Stop watching so many soap operas!"

"Okay." James Carter muttered under his breath, "You're the one who loves them the most," and then fell silent.

David Carter ate her bun seriously, occasionally sneaking a glance at little James Carter. Hongxing Welfare Home was family-style; they were raised by a mother surnamed Lin, all lived on the third floor of Building 2, so they all had the surname Lin.

James Carter was seven this year, about to start first grade. David Carter had recently heard that a good family liked him and wanted to adopt him, but James Carter himself wasn't too keen.

She held the bun in her mouth and rubbed the little boy's head. James Carter opened his palm, revealing five neatly wrapped pine nut candies, and generously said, "Xi-ge, I'll share with you."

David Carter remembered this was the reward for catching her: "Wow, you even want to show me the evidence of your betrayal?"

"I... I didn't betray you!"

"Who was it just now clinging to my leg so I couldn't sneak away?" She pinched the little boy's cheeks. "Selling out your brother for glory—that's you."

James Carter had probably never heard such a slick line and was left dumbfounded.

"I thought you beat someone up again and didn't dare come back this time."

Beat someone up again...

"Mm..." David Carter broke open the other bun, cracked the salted duck egg, scooped out the yolk with chopsticks, spread it evenly inside the bun, and handed it to James Carter. "Go on, keep talking."

"Talk about what?" James Carter swallowed, hurriedly took the bun, and started munching.

"You thought I beat someone up, but actually, what did Dean's Mother say?"

"But Dean's Mother said you stayed late at school today to study for the exam. She was worried about you walking through the alley alone, so she had us wait for you at the alley entrance."

That reason was pretty far-fetched, but James Carter believed it completely. To protect David Carter's dignity, Dean was truly thoughtful and meticulous.

"Xi-ge! You have to pass the exam!" James Carter stuffed his mouth with bun and made a cheering gesture.

David Carter glanced at the ceiling, pretending not to hear. She was about to graduate from college—an elementary school exam was a piece of cake, cheering her on was just bullying.

But, pass what?

David Carter's head throbbed, and she suddenly remembered why she pinned the homeroom teacher's son to the ground and beat him up. Because he cursed that she would definitely fail the selection exam.