The infirmary was very quiet. Katie opened her mouth, but in the end, no words came out. Words felt so powerless at this moment. After all, she had explained countless times before, but her brothers never believed her. Eddie’s throat moved slightly before he finally let go of her hand. He looked at Katie with disappointment. “If you keep being so stubborn, when Rowan gets back, I won’t be able to protect you. Think about it carefully.” After saying that, Eddie left. Katie leaned back against the headboard, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. A trace of self-mockery flashed in her eyes. What was there to think about? Should she follow the same path as in her past life, bowing her head and carefully trying to please them, only to be kicked out of the house and end up locked in a mental hospital, dying a miserable death? She refused to live like that. “Take this!” An ice pack wrapped in gauze appeared in front of her. Katie took the ice pack and pressed it to her swollen cheek, stealing a glance at the man beside her. She murmured softly, “Thanks for earlier.” His voice was cold. “Why didn’t you explain?” Katie looked down and chuckled bitterly. “You won’t believe this, but I’ve tried explaining it over and over, even showing them proof, but they just wouldn’t listen. They thought I was making it all up.” The room fell into a brief silence. Katie didn’t feel like explaining much. Many outsiders never believed her, thinking she was simply being disobedient. “It’s hard not to believe.” Katie froze for a moment. Did he really believe what she was saying? Ryan took a step closer and placed his hand on her forehead. “Your temperature has gone down.” Katie was stunned. His hand was cool, and it felt soothing. She felt much better now, the discomfort easing. She looked at his wrist. “Are the scars on your hand from the car accident too?” Ryan’s hand froze for a moment before quickly pulling back. He took down the empty IV bag and, after a brief silence, replied, “Yeah, it’s from a car accident.” His hand rested on the edge of the table, always facing away from Katie. His profile was bathed in the light, making his expression hard to read. “I have them too, on my leg.” Katie lifted her skirt slightly. “Here. These scars look pretty similar to yours!” Ryan turned to see her slender legs, her fair skin making the scars on her thigh stand out starkly. However, her skirt seemed to be lifted a little too high, exposing more than it should. He glanced briefly and quickly turned his head away. “Kid, don’t lift your skirt in front of men.” “But you’re a doctor.” Ryan’s throat tightened. But I’m still a man. Hadn’t anyone taught her these things? He asked, “This scar can be treated. Why haven’t you had it taken care of?” Katie’s expression softened, and a pang of pain shot through her chest. Her third brother, Zach Maddison, had once told her that the scar represented their parents’ presence, and that he would eventually find time to help her remove it himself. She believed him. But in the end, Zach looked at the scar on her leg with disgust. He said he hated it, that he would never help her remove it. He said she was the reason their parents died. He had said the scar was her brand, a mark of guilt for her parents’ death, something she would have to carry for the rest of her life. The blow had been devastating. She had even believed, for a time, that she was the cause of their deaths, and she grew more and more submissive, trying to please her brothers. Katie recalled those memories, the pain almost choking her. But now, she couldn’t bring herself to speak of that reason. Instead, she asked, “What about you? Why haven’t you treated yours?” “I’m a man, it doesn’t matter. But for a young girl, it’s better to get it removed.” Katie forced a strained smile. “I’ll deal with it later.” Noticing her looking down, Ryan didn’t say much more. He sat beside her and turned on the TV. Katie glanced at the screen and was surprised to see a gaming livestream. Her sixth brother, Melvin Maddison, was currently competing in a match. Melvin had skipped Sally’s banquet just for this match. But in the end, he lost to the young scion of the Ashfords from Lunareth. Katie recalled that in her past life, after Melvin lost the match, he was harshly mocked by the other team. Furious, Melvin returned and quickly started reassembling the family’s esports team. Eddie, Clifford, Norris, Melvin, and her. Although they had failed in the qualifiers, there was still hope in the revival round. They made a stunning comeback through the revival round and ended up facing the young scion of the Ashfords once again in the national competition. During that time, she spent countless hours practicing and studying the Ashfords team’s players, hoping to outsmart them and win the match. Sally wasn’t part of the game. Her gaming skills weren’t enough to be more than a substitute, unable to participate in the actual competition. That’s why she enjoyed the feeling of teaming up with her brothers in the game, where no one else could interrupt their family time. She had even neglected her college entrance exam prep to focus on this esports competition. But when they won the crucial round, and the championship was within reach, her brothers called for a stop in the game. She was swapped out, and Sally took her place. In the end, they won the match and became national champions. Her brothers, with Sally in tow, stood atop the victory podium, basking in the glory of her hard-earned success. Sally stood between her brothers, holding her trophy, smiling happily. Katie watched the game on the screen, her heart feeling like it had a hole that couldn’t be fixed. “Why are you crying? This isn’t some soap opera, is it really worth getting so emotional over?” Katie came to her senses, wiping the tears from her face. The memories of her past life had overwhelmed her, and she hadn’t been able to control her emotions. A tissue appeared in front of her, and she noticed the man’s long, elegant fingers. She took it, feeling a bit embarrassed as she looked at him. “Do you play this game?” “Kid, the most important thing for you right now is preparing for your exams, not playing games!” Ryan sat back lazily in his chair, not looking at her, his attention focused on the match. Katie turned her gaze to the screen, speaking seriously, “MadSky Team is going to lose.” MadSky Team, the team Melvin was part of. Ryan’s lips curled into a slight smile, his tone calm and unhurried. “Seems like you have a good eye.” After the match ended, the MadSky Team lost without a doubt. Katie saw the livestream, where Melvin’s expression was dark with anger, and he even slammed his keyboard. Melvin’s temper had always been this explosive. Seeing Melvin lose the match, she actually felt a bit relieved. When he came back, he would surely try to reorganize the team, but this time, she wouldn’t play for the Maddisons. She would fight for herself, become a professional player, earn money to attend college, and support herself. She never wanted to face the constant threat of having her allowance cut off to force her into obedience, or be pressured to give up her dream of attending a top university to go to the second-tier school where Sally was. She needed to be financially independent to break free from the Maddisons’ control. While the esports profession wasn’t well-regarded commercially at the moment, next year, with the rise of live streaming, professional players could earn money by streaming their gameplay. With her experience from her past life in gaming, this seemed like the quickest and easiest way to make money. Katie silently made up her mind. After the match ended, Ryan glanced back before walking over to her, gently removing the IV needle from her arm. He grabbed a cotton swab and pressed it against her hand. “The medicine is on the table. You can take it and leave.” “Thanks!” Katie took the medicine and left the infirmary. Just as she walked out, a young man strolled in, speaking casually. “Ryan, it’s rare to see you playing the hero, but this girl has quite a reputation at school. She’s been criticized pretty badly on the school forums. Don’t let her fool you.” Ryan leaned back in his chair, his posture less aloof and more laid-back. He spoke nonchalantly, “Why are you still here?” “I’m just curious. Why did you choose to be the school doctor here? You didn’t even show up for Max’s match. He ended up so distracted trying to find you that he almost got ambushed by that Maddison kid. Tell me why, and I’ll leave.” Ryan took off his mask and rolled up his sleeves, revealing the ugly scar. Elliot Goldwyn’s expression darkened when he saw it. “All these years, and you still haven’t let it go? That car accident had nothing to do with you! Wait, could this girl … ” “Shut up!” Ryan closed his eyes to rest, ignoring the person next to him.