As Katie reached her breaking point, Sally showed up, running late. Sally apologized while running over, “Sorry, I was discussing the competition with Melvin and the others and lost track of time.” Clifford calmly spoke up, “It’s fine. You’re doing your part for the family, much better than some ungrateful people.” The driver, with a gentle attitude, added, “It’s okay. I’ll drive faster.” But in the end, they were still late. The two of them reached the classroom door, just in time to be caught by the homeroom teacher. Sally’s face went pale as she gasped for breath, “I’m sorry, sir. It’s my fault for wasting time, and now Katie’s late because of me.” Katie stayed silent, her expression serious. James the homeroom teacher glanced at them and, with a warm tone, said to Sally, “I understand. No need to explain. Just go ahead and head in.” “Thank you.” As Katie walked in, she heard James’ stern voice behind her. “Katie, don’t drag Sally down again. This is the last warning!” Katie turned back and said, “Sally clearly explained that she was the one who made me late.” “Enough! I know what you’re like. Don’t argue, or I’ll make you stand outside for the rest of the class.” Katie didn’t want to miss any more of the lesson; she was already behind as it was. She walked into the classroom in silence, feeling upset. She really wished the exams would come sooner so she could escape from all of them. During lunch break, Sally was surrounded by a crowd, eagerly listening to her talk about the professional team, making everyone around her envious. One of the followers glanced at Katie and said, “Some people are probably jealous of Sally, which is why they deliberately delayed and showed up late.” Sally smiled, but didn’t say anything further. Katie rested her head on the desk, ignoring the group and taking a nap. After school that afternoon, Sally casually flaunted, glancing at Katie as she said, “I’m going to the training camp today too.” Katie quietly packed her books, threw her bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the classroom. Sally watched her leave, a look of satisfaction spreading across her face. She turned to her followers and said, “Make sure you do my homework for me, and don’t let the teacher find out.” “Don’t worry about it. Go ahead and chase your dream at the training camp. We’ll cover for you.” “Thanks! I won’t forget about you guys.” With a happy smile, Sally left, determined to crush Katie. She was the one who deserved to be the Maddisons’ most qualified sister. … Katie slung her bag over her shoulder and headed straight for the infirmary. Ryan was sitting in a chair, his usually gentle face now showing a hint of mockery. “What’s up?” “Ahem, I’m here to do some homework. Please let me stay!” Katie said, walking in with familiarity. As long as he didn’t ask her to leave, she was fine. Ryan watched her walk in like she owned the place, a bit surprised by how at ease she was. He had thought she was too timid and wouldn’t dare to come. But when she asked Ryan a question, she still got scolded. “Can you stop making your brain act like a funnel, taking in everything and letting it all leak out? “Don’t ask about easy stuff again. Figure it out on your own.” Katie didn’t argue a single word, simply taking note of everything he said. The room was quiet, but then her stomach growled loudly. Katie blushed, realizing that despite having eaten bread earlier, she was still hungry. Ryan glanced at the time and ordered takeout. “Eat first.” Katie sat across from him, her gaze falling on the scar on his wrist. Unable to stop herself, she asked, “When did you have the car accident? Was it serious?” Ryan silently opened the takeout box and placed it on the table. He looked at Katie, his eyes cloudy with a distant look, and replied, “It’s been many years.” “Same here. My parents passed away in car accident too, leaving my brothers and me to rely on each other.” Katie thought back to the time when she was close to her brothers, a trace of self-mockery flashing in her eyes. After their parents died, she and her brothers went through a rough period together, and during that time, their bond was strong. But everything changed after Sally came into the picture. Ryan tightened his grip on the forks. “So, what are your plans now?” “I’m planning to apply to Thalindor University, leave this city, and start a new life.” “That’s quite the ambition. With your current grades, you have little hope of getting into Thalindor University.” “I still have time, and I’ll work hard for it.” Ryan’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he looked down, his voice cold. “Don’t ask such simple questions again.” Katie smiled. Does that mean I can keep asking questions? For the next few days, Katie stayed in the infirmary after school, not leaving until she finished her homework. Meanwhile, Sally, distracted by her training games, began to lose focus in class and even started dozing off. Of course, being the teacher’s favorite, she simply claimed she wasn’t feeling well, and the teacher didn’t press further. Katie saw Sally posting pictures from the training camp on her social media. There were also videos of her gaming with her brothers, all using matching usernames. The usernames were the same as in their previous life, but she didn’t participate. “Not focusing on your homework, and thinking about playing games?” Ryan walked over to her, glancing at the game videos on her phone. Katie shook her head. “No, I was just looking around. Right now, the most important thing is studying.” “Next week’s monthly exam. If you make it into the top 100, I’ll let you play games.” Katie tilted her head back and smiled. “Then will you play with me?” She knew Ryan also played that game. Ryan lowered his gaze slightly, his profile as handsome as ever. He replied, “I haven’t played in a long time. We’ll talk about it once you make the top 100.” “It’s a deal, then.” Katie watched Ryan walk away, determined to make it into the top 100, especially since he seemed so formidable. She had been pretty skilled at games in her past life too. Maybe, when the time came, she could surprise Ryan in the game and reclaim some of her lost pride. Katie suddenly felt a spark of anticipation. After finishing her homework, Katie returned home. But when she stepped into the living room, she was surprised to see Eddie sitting on the couch. Her heart skipped a beat. How did he get back so early? Her brothers had been at the training camp these past few days, usually coming back very late. Eddie looked up, his voice stern. “Where were you? Why are you so late?” Katie’s heart raced. She couldn’t let him find out she’d been in the infirmary doing her homework. She didn’t want to lose the last bit of her peace. She kept her head down, staring at the floor. “I went to the study room outside. There were more people there, so it felt more focused.” “Give me your bag.” Katie handed it over and watched as Eddie flipped through her notebook. He noticed the pages were filled with notes and corrections for her mistakes. After looking through it, Eddie gave her a doubtful look. Bertram reported that Katie hadn’t been returning on time lately, and no one knew where she had been. To his surprise, she had actually been studying. Eddie placed the bag down. “Katie, we need to have a talk.” “What do you want to talk about, Eddie?” As Eddie looked at the calm Katie in front of him, he suddenly felt she had changed a lot, though he couldn’t quite figure out what felt different. If this were before, Katie would have probably cried, feeling wronged, or even gone to complain. But now, she stayed silent. Eddie felt like Katie was becoming harder to control. He spoke up. “Sally’s been making great progress lately. If you trained with her, you’d improve too. You have a lot of potential. You could spend a little less time studying to train, it won’t affect your grades. Isn’t it better if we’re all together? Rowan would be happy to see how well we’re getting along when he comes back.” Katie lowered her head, her gaze filled with sarcasm. She replied firmly, “I don’t want to join the team.” “Katie, Sally is part of our family, just like you. We need to stick together, not push her away like you are. After all, her dad saved your life!” Eddie couldn’t understand. He had given her so many chances, why couldn’t Katie just take them? They were being so kind to Sally, weren’t they just trying to repay a debt? The living room was silent, the suffocating atmosphere pressing down on Katie, making it feel hard to breathe. She clenched her fists tightly, barely holding herself together. To hell with this! Katie sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm when she said, “Do you need me to sacrifice my life for Sally to be happy?”