Renee suggested Joanne apply for a college because she wanted to stall for time. She hoped to see Joanne focus on something else, so Joanne wouldn't dwell on her sad past. Doing so would only lead to a dead end. Renee also hoped Joanne could stay in Everheart Manor with peace of mind. Then, they could take good care of her and help her recuperate to full health. Unexpectedly, Joanne accepted Renee's suggestion. She studied very seriously every day and completed the test questions. She took the college entrance exam seriously as if it were her sole ambition and the pivot of her life.She would start reading and reciting before seven o'clock in the morning. She read aloud the vocabulary and was as enthusiastic as high school students.Renee kept her promise. She left her company in the charge of a manager and Leia. Then, she set up an exclusive timetable to tutor Joanne every day.Quinton kept his promise too. He sat in a corner of the room, turning into a weak and helpless study
The questions were relatively basic, and Joanne found them easy. However, she couldn't figure out the resolution for the final advanced application question.On the other hand, Quinton was stuck at the first basic fill-in-the-blanks question. He bit his pen, seemingly casual when in fact, he was looking around suspiciously.Joanne covered her test paper, frowned, and glared at Quinton. "What are you doing?" "Let me have a look. What should be the answer to this blank?" Quinton pointed at a fill-in-the-blanks question. "The hills we climb…and what follows after that?""Figure it out on your own!" Joanne covered her test paper well and added expressionlessly, "Didn't you recite it every day? Don't you know the answer? You're so stupid!"Angry, Quinton slammed his pen on the table. "I quit! What the hell is this? Why am I doing this?" He tried to earn his living on the dock at a young age and managed a spacious Carmine Pawnshop. He was the Midnight Demon, feared by everyone. Yet h
For a moment, the atmosphere in the class became tense."Fine! I'll go!" Quinton snarled, flying into a rage. He couldn't understand the meaning of wasting his time there. Besides, he didn't want to recall his past self from Joanne's words. It was heartbreaking.In the past, he was weak as he endured all the grievance and unfairness. He was too timid to resist the Garcia family from oppressing him. Joanne probably saw him as bright, wonderful, and pure, but it was humiliating for him. Now that he had experienced power and superiority, he would never recall the past fondly. All he wanted was to erase his past."Study on your own. I must've gone crazy these days to stay here like a clown. I won't come again!" Then, Quinton got up to leave the class.Renee leaned on the railing, playing a mobile game to kill time. A bad premonition rose in her when she saw Quinton walk out of the class in a fit of anger."What's wrong?" "Nothing!" Quinton looked grumpy. "I'm such a fool. I want
"Leroy found an ancient tomb there with a lot of treasure. The local Cultural Relics Bureau has been alerted, and they're negotiating at the moment. I need to rush there to see if a compromise is possible."Quinton had delayed his business while acting as Joanne's study buddy.Leroy Hollis had informed him about the ancient tomb a week ago, but he was too focused on his studies and didn't pay too much attention to that news. Consequently, the news leaked that week, and the Cultural Relics Bureau was alerted. They wanted all the treasures, or Leroy would be punished severely.Based on the photos sent by Chase, it was clear the tomb came with a long history and was an authentic royal tomb. Any item found in there would cost a fortune. If all the treasures were confiscated by the bureau, it would be a great loss for Carmine Pawnshop. Besides, Leroy had worked for Carmine Pawnshop for many years. If he was arrested and implicated Carmine Pawnshop, it would be very troublesome. If Qu
Joanne looked at the test paper on the table and was silent for a long time. Then, she said thoughtfully, "Instead of making him be my study buddy, I hoped to see his past self. Isn't it ridiculous?"In the past, she liked Quinton very much. She liked the man the TV station would interview because he was charming, wise, and bright. She preferred the days when he was bright and optimistic.If they could return to the night before her college entrance examination, she might choose to hide the incident that caused her pain. If she did so, Quinton wouldn't try to seek justice for her and fall out with her family. Their lives might be different.Unfortunately, there was no time machine. After all, it had happened. The past couldn't be reversed.Renee grabbed the chance to sound out Joanne's thoughts. "You still care about him, don't you? You don't hate him, so you can't cut off from him. Am I right?" She felt that both Joanne and Quinton were insincere. They claimed that they hate
Renee shook her head. "I've experienced a lot of pain, but they're bygones now. They're like the scars on my hands. Slowly, they don't hurt anymore. For example, seeing your parents jump off a tall building and fall in front of you in a pool of blood. Then, your beloved man ignored and betrayed you… There are so many examples. Pain is individual and can't be compared or quantified.""I think I understand." Joanne took a deep breath as if she was suddenly enlightened. "I always thought that my life was dark and dull," she said gloomily. "My destiny was miserable. But when I think about it, I feel that it isn't easy for everyone. Everyone's bound to have some regrets in their lives. I shouldn't dwell on my past and keep using it to punish my current self.""That's right. It's what I want to tell you." Renee felt better because Joanne was finally enlightened.They continued with their lesson. When Joanne resumed studying, she was more attentive than ever. Her messy thoughts no lo
"What do you want to know?" Joanne had turned serious. She was curious about what Renee wanted to ask."I can affirm your parents wouldn't adopt an unrelated boy for no reason, given their character," Renee said. "Probably, they might even sell him to another person. But they adopted him, which was unprecedented. Although they weren't nice to him, they fed and raised him. So, I wanted to know…"After a pause, she continued, "How did they adopt my brother? Or did someone let them have him?""I'm not sure about that." Joanne frowned, trying hard to recall it. "He's only three years older than me. When I was old enough to remember things, he was already living at my home. But at that time, my family openly said he wasn't blood-related to us. So, I knew from the start that he wasn't my biological brother."But there was something quite special. My parents and biological brother had always been lazy. However, my family conditions were okay. They didn't work, but we had money for food an
"I know my family caused your brother's tragedy. I can't calmly make peace with him as if nothing has happened. My guilt doesn't allow me to do that. Plus, my hatred didn't drive me away from him. It's because of my selfishness. I wanted to get away from the situation where I kept punishing myself. I'm so sorry!"Joanne's eyes were red as she sobbed and confessed everything to Renee.Her family had been torturing Quinton, turning him into a gloomy and vicious demon when in fact, he was God's favored child. However, Renee let bygones be bygones and kept helping Joanne. She pulled Joanne out of her abyss and kept teaching Joanne, leading Joanne into a normal path. It filled Joanne with shame."Don't say sorry to me. You and your family are different. You're my brother's light. I should thank you instead," Renee said. She took a deep breath as resentment gleamed in her eyes. "The mastermind hidden behind your family is the worst!"She had no way of knowing the past between tha