"Calm down first," Old Carter didn't even bother to finish eating, hastily wiped his mouth and immediately explained, "After the third mock exam, there was a parent-teacher meeting. You didn't go, right? I ran into a boy in their teacher's office, wearing a necklace around his neck—the very one that Qiu Die left for Ethan Turner. But at that time, I saw Ethan Turner's grades were always pretty stable, and I was afraid you'd get too worked up and affect her exams if you found out, so I didn't say anything."

Samuel Turner stared at him intently, eyes sharp as a torch, saying nothing.

"Don't look at me like that. The exams are all over now, so there's even less reason to get worked up. Find some time to have a good talk with her. Honestly, it's a bit early for romance now. In this regard, our Emily is actually quite reassuring—not as pretty as your Ethan Turner, and her grades are terrible. If anyone wanted to date her," Old Carter closed his lunchbox, full of confidence, "I'd be the first to take him to our hospital to get his eyes checked."

**

The torrential rain washed over the entire city. After the rain, the sky was even brighter, and the lush leaves glistened with an oily green under the cleansing of the rain. Cicadas chirped lazily, filling one summer after another with their noise.

Ethan Turner went to the apartment David Hayes rented. He wasn't there, and the door was shut tighter than the furnace of the Grand Supreme Elder Lord. The student next door, also preparing for exams, said he had gone back to his hometown that afternoon and wouldn't be back until the evening.

Ethan Turner slowly walked downstairs, finally taking a good look at this tube-shaped apartment building. Almost everyone living here was a senior high school student, since it was so close to City No. 1 High School.

City No. 1 High was fiercely competitive. Top scorers from counties, cities, and even other provinces all fought to get in, so there were many out-of-town students. Most of the senior out-of-towners preferred to rent their own places, since the dorms had lights out strictly at ten.

It was said that in the months before the exams, the lights in this building would still be blazing at four or five in the morning. With this kind of hellish competition, no wonder David Hayes's mood was so unpredictable.

Qingyi City was always humid and rainy. The hallway walls were damp and peeling, with a musty smell of mildew seeping through.

Ethan Turner reached the first floor and faintly heard a few low voices coming from inside one of the apartments—

"The results aren't out yet, but after discussing with your father, we still hope to send you abroad. There's no need to repeat another year."

"Oh, whatever."

The voice was cool and crisp, with a magnetic quality.

Ethan Turner instinctively looked up. The security door wasn't closed, and a long, sharp shadow fell through the crack onto the corridor. The facilities in this tube building were old and cramped, the walls streaked with dirty water, yet somehow that clean, slender shadow seemed oddly captivating.

Several sheets of flypaper, covered in dense dots, were tossed in the corner, along with various brands of electric mosquito repellents—some even unused. It was clear the owner was picky and not easy to please.

The woman spoke again: "That girl, you still need to make things clear with her. You'd better do it soon—"

"Yeah, I said, whatever you want. And don't say she's not my girlfriend. Even if she was, it wouldn't matter. If you say break up, then break up." He sounded like he had zero will to live.

The door was ajar, and through the narrow gap, Ethan Turner saw a middle-aged woman with an elegant air sitting on the living room sofa, her face out of sight. The sound of her voice reminded Ethan Turner of her own mother, Grace Hill—the tone was almost identical: gentle yet sharp, even when angry, never rushed. The pale yellow floral dress she wore—Ethan Turner remembered that Ms. Grace Hill seemed to have one just like it.

"Still making excuses!" The woman was clearly furious, slamming her teacup on the table. "If she's not your girlfriend, why did you bring her home? If I hadn't come over, what were you planning to do? And look at what you're wearing! I'm not saying you can't date, but don't make a mess I can't clean up! That girl's father is not someone you can just brush off."

He seemed to let out a cold laugh.

"Isn't that perfect? Then you don't have to rack your brains for an excuse to send me abroad."

"What kind of attitude is that! Are you annoyed that we care too much? If you have any complaints about us, just say it. Don't give me that passive-aggressive attitude."

The owner of the shadow stood with his back to her, at the entryway. He was tall and thin, wearing whatever he could grab in a hurry, looking very much like someone "caught in the act"—just throwing on a couple of random pieces of clothing.

He wore a loose basketball jersey on top, and school pants with the No. 1 High logo on the bottom. But his shoulders were broad and straight, his whole figure perfectly proportioned—slim but not frail, with sharp, smooth lines. The classic clothes hanger type—a guy of that level.

Ethan Turner remembered Emily Carter had indeed said that at City No. 1 High, not only were the grades fiercely competitive, but even the good-looking guys were.

Ethan Turner's eyes fell on his school pants with the logo. Compared to the variety of uniforms at Rui Jun, No. 1 High's uniforms were always so proper and disciplined.

But that guy clearly didn't look like a disciplined person. He leaned against the shoe cabinet by the door, one hand in his pocket, his school jacket draped loosely over his shoulders, one foot lazily resting on a basketball covered in signatures, and a DJI drone tossed at his feet. Even under his mom's relentless bombardment, he could still calmly order himself takeout.

"What are you ordering again!" The woman clearly knew him all too well. "Is eating all you ever think about?"