Chapter 4: The brilliant game designer and her foster father 2

After school today, Roger saw the school bullies trailing the new girl. He couldn't help but feel worried and secretly followed them.

Sure enough, just as he predicted, after Ernesta went into the bathroom, the four tough girls blocked the door, waiting for her to come out. But unlike usual, this time Ernesta didn't just stand there and take it. She cleverly distracted them and ran away, showing some improvement from before.

As Roger thought he might not need to step in and Ernesta could safely leave school, a soft body bumped into his chest. To prevent them both from falling, he instinctively held her close. The sweet scent of strawberry body wash filled his nose, making Roger's ears turn red.

Ernesta looked up, a familiar feeling washing over her. The brown-nut hair, the clear amber eyes, Roger's appearance reminded her of a childhood friend. If he had grown up, he might have looked just like the guy in front of her.

Roger was handsome, wearing a black hoodie and wide-legged khaki pants, fitting perfectly on his 6'1" frame, looking both youthful and stylish.

“Are you okay?” Roger asked, his tone quite relaxed, if you ignored his flushed ears.

Ernesta used Roger's arm to stand up straight.

“I'm fine. Thank you.”

With Roger here, she wasn't in a hurry to run away. According to the memories of this body, he had helped Ernesta avoid bullying several times.

The leader of the bullies seemed very annoyed to see Roger. She grumbled,

“Roger, get lost. Don't stick your nose in other people's business.”

Roger pulled Ernesta protectively behind him, his chest expanding, his head held high in a defiant stance.

“So what if I don't?” he retorted, his voice low but firm.

One of the bullies sneered, her voice dripping with venom,

“This bitch let you fuck her how many times before that you're protecting her like this?"

The other three chimed in, their taunts sharp and cruel,

“She's a real gold digger from the slums, only been here two months and she's already snagged the rich boy.”

“Ernesta, don't think you can change your fate by latching onto Roger. He's the son of a low-class dancer; he's got nothing to inherit.”

“Ernesta, you better stick behind Roger for the rest of your life. Don't let me catch you alone.” Their words hung heavy in the air, laced with menace.

If it had been the old Ernesta, she would have been paralyzed with fear, speechless. But this Ernesta remained silent, not from fear, but from sheer contempt. Her silence was a weapon, sharper than any words.

Roger stood firm, an unyielding wall. The bullies, thwarted and furious, could only stomp away, their insults echoing uselessly behind them.

With the danger gone, Ernesta let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” she said.

Roger frowned at her, his expression clearly unhappy.

“Didn't I tell you to stay on campus and not go to deserted places alone?”

She smiled and replied,

“I remember. I'll be more careful next time.”

Roger nodded, but didn't say anything more. He looked at Ernesta, his mind drifting back to the medical test results he had accidentally seen at the family hospital the other day.

“Alright, from now on, just follow me after school. I'll walk you home. Those bullies are relentless; two female students have already been bullied to the point of transferring schools.” He might as well help her all the way. Besides, Ernesta was so pitiful; she probably didn't have anyone else to help her.

It had been years since she had received such pure kindness, and Ernesta felt an unexpected warmth.

“Thank you. You can just walk me to the school gate. I have a car waiting outside.”

Roger raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice,

“You have a car and a driver picking you up? Seems like Ralph Harold treats you pretty well.”

Ernesta lowered her eyes, smiling but not responding. According to the memories of this body, Ralph Harold was a very cold person. Since she arrived at the Harold residence, she had spoken to him less than twenty times. He only spoke a little more when Fiona was around.

001 chimed in, asserting its presence, “Master, this is a typical trait of the male leads in romance novels: cold to the world, but gentle only with the female lead. Very romantic, isn't it?”

Ernesta smirked, replying to it,

“It's not romantic, it's arrogant, it's rude.”

She had no interest in facing a man who always acted as if she owed him something.

Ernesta didn't engage 001 further. She and Roger walked through the hallway towards the school gate.

On the way, she noticed a flicker of something in Roger's expression, like he wanted to say something but held back. Finally, after a moment of internal struggle, he spoke up,

“Ernesta, do you know Fiona has a heart condition?”

She nodded.

“I know. She's been absent from school for the past two weeks because of a relapse. She's currently staying at home to recuperate.”

“So... do you know the doctor diagnosed that if she can't get a heart transplant, Fiona won't live past twenty?”

Ernesta knew, of course, but this body's owner didn't. So she feigned surprise and exclaimed,

“How did you know? She never told me about this.”

“You don't need to know how I know, but it's 100% true,” he said, reminding her. If she still couldn't figure out the truth, then she could only blame herself for being too naive.

“That blue car is the Harolds', right? Get in,” Roger pointed and asked.

Ernesta said goodbye to Roger and got into the car. On the way back home, she couldn't stop thinking about what Roger had just said.

“001, what role does Roger play in the story?”

She had read the novel's content, but she truly had no memory of this character.

“He's the youngest son of the Taylors, the family that owns the largest private hospital chain in the state. Roger Taylor is the product of a one-night stand between his father and a nightclub dancer. After he was born, his mother received a hefty sum of money and handed him over to his father. Roger's older brother is the male supporting character, who will later harbor a secret love for the female lead and help her a lot in both her career and life.

In the novel, he appears in a line spoken by the male supporting character:

"My useless little brother is a stubborn, obstinate fool, he always ..."

Ernesta suddenly felt that she was much luckier than Roger. Although she was the antagonist and had a tragic ending, at least she had a face, a whole storyline of her own. As for him, he never even appeared, not even a single line of dialogue, not even a background character.