Chapter 102

The crisp bell rang tinkling.

Class was over.

David removed the old-style Braindance headset from his head, clenched it in his hand, and leapt lightly from his seat.

"The parent-teacher meeting, held once per semester, is about to begin—please prepare yourselves…"

The teacher's reminder still lingered in his ears, persistent and unyielding.

Faint marks remained on the old Braindance headset from his fingertips; David frowned, teeth clenched tight.

The ever-rising tuition fees weighed on him like a mountain, suffocating him.

This year, he could rely on help from Sister Heda's family to get through, but what about next year?

Placing the Braindance headset on the seat, David lowered his head, avoiding all his classmates, and walked alone toward the restroom.

As far as he knew, Sister Heda's family, as Mercenaries, did not earn money easily.

Behind each ordinary-looking number lay how much sweat and blood—he did not know, and could hardly imagine.

Looking up at his own bewildered reflection in the mirror, David slowly clenched his fist, yet ultimately let it drop helplessly.

"Hey? Mom."

The shrill ring jolted David from his thoughts; he fumbled in his pocket for his phone and quickly answered.

"Hey… David, Mom's stuck in traffic—can you wait a bit?"

"Drive slowly, Mom… be careful—the parent meeting doesn't matter…"

"What nonsense! If I don't show off my driving skills today, you're going to think I'm useless, you little brat!"

"Hey! Mom? Hey?" David stared blankly at the dial tone, still not processing that the call had ended.

"*!" The next second, he slammed a fist hard against the restroom's ceramic wall, making the tiles rumble, his fingers turning red.

◎

"Sophia!"

Sophia had just removed her latest Braindance headset and had not yet shaken off the daze of class when someone shook her violently.

"Stop shaking me!" Sophia snapped, grabbing the culprit who was pushing her.

She opened her eyes—it was definitely her best friend, Bonnie.

"Check the time—your mom's almost here! Hurry up and go meet her!" Bonnie, cheeks dimpled cutely, tugged at Sophia's hand without letting go.

"Why are you more eager than I am?" Sophia tilted her head, puzzled.

"You know what I mean~"

"Huh?" Sophia frowned for half a second, then suddenly understood. "Ohhh—I get it! There's that saying, 'An ugly daughter-in-law must meet her in-laws,' right? No wonder you're in such a rush…"

"I'm worried about your intelligence, Sophia—this saying shouldn't be taken literally…" Bonnie, an top-ranking student, instinctively corrected her best friend's literary misconception.

"So you're not denying you're the 'ugly daughter-in-law'…" Sophia nodded, thoroughly satisfied as she watched Bonnie's face flush crimson with embarrassment.

"How can you say that? Did losing your boyfriend change your sexual orientation?" Bonnie clutched her chest, looking disgusted.

"Stop being cryptic—spill the truth!" Sophia pinched her nose sharply, vividly expressing her annoyance at the other's behavior.

"Ugh… my parents won't come, so I'm just going with you to meet your mom…"

"Hmm…" Sophia suddenly remembered Bonnie's immense Betancourt Family.

In this world of rampant materialism and money worship, the Betancourt Family, as one of the world's most renowned noble houses, possessed privileges and power that could ignore most rules.

"You nearly got kidnapped last time… are you okay?" Sophia asked her friend cautiously, out of both concern and curiosity.

"Minor thing—just a few strands of hair got pulled out…" Bonnie shrugged indifferently now. "I've been through this too many times since childhood—always managed to escape unharmed…"

"Ohhh, so even the rich heiress has hidden troubles…" Sophia teased, taking Bonnie's hand and walking out the classroom door toward the school gate.

On the stairs, she glanced back unintentionally and saw a familiar boy from class, frowning and gloomy, leaving the restroom and sprinting off quickly.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie turned back too, but saw nothing unusual—only a stream of classmates whose names she couldn't recall.

"Nothing…" Sophia shook her head, pulling Bonnie's hand along as she skipped down the stairs.

"You're acting weird…" Bonnie shook her head, gripping Sophia's hand tighter. "I'm starting to worry about your mental state…"

"Pfft—don't jinx me!" Sophia rolled her eyes at Bonnie, then suddenly remembered a question. "By the way, do you remember what was in my bag on the 20th?"

"The kidnapping day? I remember what I ate…" Bonnie frowned, stroking her smooth chin with her free hand. "But what was in your bag? How would I dare rummage through our 'everyone's darling' Queen Sophia's backpack?"

"Is that the mouth that talks in riddles?" Sophia grabbed Bonnie's soft cheek and pinched it playfully, feigning anger.

"Ow! I'm sorry, Your Majesty, spare me!"

"Still talking?" Sophia spoke with mock fury, but her lips couldn't help curling into a smile.

Thanks to Bonnie's teasing, Sophia successfully pushed the faint confusion from her mind.

"By the way, what's your mom's name? How should I address her later?"

"Just call her Mom," Sophia grinned mischievously, releasing her grip on Bonnie's hand and wrapping her arms tightly around her slender waist.

"Huh? Ah! Don't touch me—I'm ticklish!" Bonnie blushed, whispering as she squirmed in Sophia's embrace, trying to escape her mischievous fingers.

"My mom's name is Nadia~" Sophia let go of the blushing Bonnie, hands on her hips, looking proud. "Isn't that a nice name?"

"Probably another beautiful woman who lives up to her name…" Bonnie murmured, adjusting her slightly messy hair.

"That 'another' was very clever…" Sophia nodded, thoroughly pleased by her friend's subtle compliment.

"I didn't compliment you—can you stop assuming I meant you, you blonde with brains but no chest?"

"Feeling itchy again?"

"Sorry sorry, I was wrong… I'll do it again next time!"

"Don't you dare run!" Sophia glared at Bonnie, who had already sprinted far ahead, and bit her lip as she chased after her.

The short distance quickly shrank beneath their running steps.

Soon, Sophia saw the scene at the school gate.

"Big sister Tanya… I'm Bonnie Bentancourt… Sophia's best friend…"

"Mom!" Gently nudging her annoying friend aside with her buttocks, Sophia laughed and flung herself into her mother's arms, who was still slightly confused.

Bonnie rubbed her sore waist, about to tattle to Sophia's mother, when a shrill screech of brakes nearby snatched her attention.

An old sedan twisted rapidly through traffic, then spun sharply, its body carving a smooth arc across the ground, accompanied by the roar of tires screeching against asphalt and billowing thick smoke, arriving instantly at the school gate.

"Whoa, so cool!" Sophia stuck her head out from her mother's embrace, gazing at the red-haired woman slowly stepping out of the smoke, loudly praising her.