Chapter 29
I raised an eyebrow, my gaze sharp and defiant.“I remember very clearly,” I said, the words clipped. I would never forget.
I shut the door, unwilling to say anything more. Nathan stood outside, clutching the necklace, replaying our conversation. Regret washed over him. Yet, my words had been deliberate. She was intelligent enough to understand my meaning. Was she still angry? He stared at the closed door. “Lina, what am I supposed to do with you?* He tried to mindlink her, but he failed.
My mood soured. I shouldn’t have been so optimistic, hoping my brothers would have a change of heart and be overcome with remorse. I’d been naïve, underestimating Sophie’s importance to Nathan. He’d been moved to tears by a bowl of congee, while years of my medicinal meals had been treated like garbage. It was time to reclaim everything I’d given. Get ready to endure the fury of a werewolf, especially when I’m of Alpha blood.
I would refuse to join Lucas’s team, stop making medicinal meals for Nathan, and cease maintaining the firewall security for Derek. And the same for Brandon, Wade, and Derek. I would withdraw everything.
Opening the game forum, I found that my post from a few days ago, “A Beginner’s Guide to Landing a Twelve–Hit Combo,” had gone viral. Many had bookmarked it, but there were also many mocking comments accusing me of arrogance. I didn’t respond. This was all based on the advice of someone from my past life.
I received a private message. The sender’s profile shocked me it was Lucas’s account.
–
The message read:*“Kid, remember you stole my boss a few days ago?“*
Of course, I remembered. It was deliberate. I didn’t reply.
He sent another message:““Considering joining a professional team? The benefits are negotiable. I like your skills. You’ll get professional training!“*
The message felt ironic. He finally realized Sophie was unreliable and that I wouldn’t join his team, so he was recruiting again?
I replied directly:““I refuse, thanks.“*
Then I logged off.
Lucas stared at the message, his mind inexplicably flashing Lina’s face. It was always the same three words she used to refuse.
He closed his computer, frustrated. He’d been kicked out of the dorm because of me, and it felt incredibly unfair. He regretted hitting me during the resurrection match. But he couldn’t bring himself to apologize; he was used to me being the one to appease him.
Time flew, and the final mock exam arrived. I felt confident during the exam, finishing early and heading to the playground for
some fresh air.
Returning to the classroom, I found Sophie sobbing at her desk, her sidekicks gone.
“Sophie, don’t cry. We believe you wouldn’t cheat.”
“The teachers will investigate, and the truth will come out.”
“Your grades are usually good; you wouldn’t need to cheat.”
From their conversation, I guessed what happened. I’d always suspected Sophie cheated. This hadn’t happened in my past life, likely because the games had consumed too much of Sophie’s time, forcing her to cheat to maintain her rankings. In my past life, Sophie had completely failed, scoring worse than Sidekick Two. After the results, I had done remarkably well. Sophie had blamed me for affecting her mood. My brothers had cold–shouldered me for a long time, until Derek suggested we apply to the same university. It was supposed to compensate for my influence on her grades. What kind of logic was that? In my past life, I’d been unable to defy my brothers‘ demands.
As I recalled this, Sidekick One burst into the classroom, confronting Sophie.“You’re the one who cheated; why am I the one
< Chapter 29
getting punished?”
Sophie cried, “I didn’t cheat! Why are you slandering me? I didn’t ask you to write that note!”
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“It was you, Sophie! Why won’t you admit it? Aren’t we friends? Why would you betray me?”
Sidekick One was frantic; this suspension could ruin her WAT. Yet Sophie looked innocent, and the others blamed Sidekick One for slandering her. Sophie felt calm. She knew she’d be fine. People would only believe her.
Sidekick One looked at me in despair. “Sophie is a venomous woman, pretending to be saintly, but in reality, she’s nothing more than a poisonous omega!”
A mocking smile touched my lips. Finally, Sidekick One understood.
Sidekick One rushed to me.“You know the truth, right? Sophie’s grades were always terrible, and I did her homework. We were in the same classroom during the exam, and you left early, passing by our classroom. You must have seen it! Testify to the teacher!” Lina always clashed with Sophie; surely she had a way to help.
Sophie frowned, unsure if I knew anything.
I calmly pushed Sidekick One away.“Sophie is known for her good character. How could you falsely accuse her?”
Sidekick One’s face went pale. I could even sense her unease and fear without bond. She didn’t expect this from me.
My expression was impassive. I wasn’t a saint. Hadn’t those two sidekicks slandered and hurt me enough in my last life? Now, it was Sidekick One’s turn to feel the pain Sophie had inflicted.
Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Sidekick One with feigned sympathy.“It’s because we’re close friends that I can’t let you get away with this. If you sincerely apologize to the teacher, they’ll forgive you.”
Sidekick Two chimed in,“You can’t just slander someone.”
Sidekick One looked at Sidekick Two, sneering. “My fate will be yours tomorrow. You’ll see.”
Sidekick Two looked uncomfortable.“You’re talking nonsense. You cheated, and you can’t make Sophie lie for you.”
Sidekick One shouted, “Sophie, do you think I have no evidence? I’ll expose your academic fraud, and see how you maintain your ‘scholar‘ persona!”
Sophie’s face changed. Was this woman suicidal?
The homeroom teacher approached.“Rachel Chen, what evidence do you have?”
“It’s on my phone. Sophie’s homework was always done by me, and when I passed her a note during the exam, Lina walked past the classroom; she must have seen it.”
The teacher looked at me.“Did you see it?”
I thought carefully. I hadn’t really paid attention but did remember Sophie looking back. Was this a golden chance? If I said I saw it, would Sophie be doomed?
