Beatrice's heart skipped a beat, making her feel suffocated. "How can you say such things here?""I'm just telling the truth. It's not anything illegal, so why can't I say it?"Julia looked innocent. It was as if she didn't understand why Beatrice was so angry.Of course, Beatrice would be angry.With so many servants in the dining room, Julia had actually openly revealed her husband's secrets, trampling on Spencer's dignity! How could Julia behave like this as Beatrice's daughter-in-law?As if sensing what was on Beatrice's mind, Julia looked over with a mocking smile."Ever since I married into the Lowe family, you've looked down on me from the bottom of your heart. Well, your son has personally proposed to divorce me."Since you're here, why not be a witness and let us divide the divorce property? This way, your son can openly play around with women outside and bring them back home."She paused and added a sharp comment before Beatrice's anger could erupt."With your son's
Outside, snow began to fall lightly from the sky.Penny was unaware of the chaos and dispute in the Lowe family at the moment.She had just finished unpacking her belongings. She had sorted out her clothes and put books into the study. Other than that, there wasn't much else to tidy up.After all, over the past year, she had slowly shifted the center of her life to this apartment.Being driven out by the Lowe family now was considered settling her fate once and for all.After tidying up the room, Penny let out a heavy sigh.She poured herself a cup of tea from the thermos and lay down on the couch by the French window, curling up in the soft cushions and looking at the snowy scenery outside.Not far away from her apartment was her school.Looking back on it, the most relaxing time in her life was spent there.Getting up early every day was unbearable in winter. But, compared to the suffocating atmosphere in the Lowe family, Penny wished she could stay at school every day.She
In early June, a rain shower extinguished much of the heat that had risen in the air. The wet flowers, grass, and trees on campus emitted a refreshing, fragrant aroma.The setting sun shone on the basketball court. Some lower-grade students were splashing water around while exercising, blooming with youthful vigor amid the songs being broadcast around the school.But Penny and her friends naturally didn't have time to stop and admire.This was their past and could be their future. But it definitely was not their present.With no one supporting them from behind, they could only follow the tide and keep running forward.They couldn't stop.After the self-study session during the first night, the darkness enveloped the entire campus. The lights overflowing from the classrooms added a soft touch to the night.Penny was used to running two laps around the field with Cecilia during this break, using sweat to release all the pressure from the whole day of tension.Many people were on
Reincarnation was a skill that required luck. Not only that, luck will play a part even in one's career and future.But only one thing in this world would yield rewards through the effort you put in—reading and learning.Even if a child lacked talent and understanding of mathematical logic, they could still manage to achieve a passable score by rote memorizing all the questions and answers.The tranquility in Penny's heart came from such logic.Each time she solved a difficult problem, it gave her a different sense of achievement. It was also a different feeling entirely when she broke free from trying to please her parents and strived for that top spot.Penny really enjoyed this kind of life.Everyone around her complained about the immense pressure of high school and wished to graduate quickly. Meanwhile, Penny thought it would be great if she could spend her whole life studying.But life must go on, and people must move forward.Moreover, leaving Riverwood might not be a bad
Penny's obvious step back didn't escape Spencer's notice.There was a moment of awkwardness on his face, but he quickly regained his composure, wearing a pleasing smile.How rare.Having lived with him for so many years, Penny couldn't recall seeing such an expression on Spencer's face before."Hey, Penny. Are you busy today?" he asked.Upon hearing this, Penny almost rolled her eyes at him.She looked at Spencer's expression, wondering if he genuinely didn't know what day it was today, or if he was pretending to be ignorant.But in less than half a second, she found it meaningless and simply replied, "I'm very busy. Don't bother me."She tried to walk around him, but Spencer stopped her.Feeling embarrassed after being rebuffed by Penny, Spencer couldn't hold back his anger and snapped, "Penny, how dare you talk to your father like that?"In the past, his wife and children used to fawn over him, but now they all seemed to have turned against him one by one.After a few seco
After all, even the alleys near the school gave a sense of inexplicable security. Even when it was almost 10:00 pm after self-study sessions, Penny had never felt afraid in this alley.The most extreme thing she had encountered here was probably seeing some students buying things from nearby small shops that couldn't be bought at school. There were never any major commotions.Actions like scaling walls that were common in other schools basically didn't exist in theirs, let alone things like brawls or campus bullying.With the amount of homework they had every day, who would have the time or energy to focus on other things?Were there no students in the school who were idle and didn't care about their studies at all? Of course, there were.However, most students admitted to Penny's school had been selected based on their entrance exam scores.Even the students who bought their way in with marginal scores were at least close to the school's cutoff line. They wouldn't lag behind in
But Penny still didn't want to give up like this.To her, this was her shortcut out of the Lowe family.Just as her teachers had said countless times in class, there were many ways to achieve worldly success. But for ordinary people, the college entrance examination is their quickest path.Penny also concluded she was just an ordinary person when she realized that she was not valued by the Lowe family.So, this exam was also her shortcut.She held onto the last hope for Spencer and looked at him hopefully."You just had a video call with my teacher, so you should know how important my exam is today."You also clearly know what today's exam is about. Why couldn't you wait for me to finish the exam before coming to talk to me?"Spencer got into the car and closed the door, sneering at her words."You don't even have any manners anymore after living outside for so long. Who do you think you're talking to?"Penny pursed her lips, gritted her teeth, and uttered a call. "Father."
Penny felt disgusted hearing Spencer's words.However, she knew now was not the time to argue with him. Besides, he was not a child whose values were still forming. Even if she argued with him, it wouldn't change his views.Such people always believed that their own ideas were right. No matter how much you discussed with them, it was meaningless.If she said too much, it might even anger him further, and Penny didn't dare to imagine what would happen then.At this moment, she was already in a disadvantageous position and could only go along with Spencer's thoughts.After a moment of contemplation, she suppressed her temper and said, "Father, what you said makes sense. But you should also know that education is a bonus."If you let me take the exam, having a diploma is still a feather in the cap. Don't you think so?"Spencer pursed his lips, his face serious, as if he was seriously considering Penny's words.Penny also realized this, so she seized the opportunity and added, "My
Penny didn't have much free time over the past three years.As she had envisioned, during the first year, she honed her acting skills amidst criticism while also working as a translator.Later on, she felt that acting didn't hold much appeal anymore. Moreover, realizing that there weren't any roles left for her, she gradually gave up and moved toward working behind the scenes.She had some work during this period.It seemed that a daring reality show, not caring about potential risks, decided to capitalize on her controversial popularity and invited her to participate in one of their programs.The reason Penny agreed to participate was because the show's first season had a good reputation, and the payment offered was reasonable.Continuously doing translations could be quite tiring. After discussing with Cecilia and weighing the pros and cons, she eventually signed up for this TV show.Unfortunately, she had underestimated the darker side of human nature.The show's production
"Really?" Zane blurted out, staring incredulously at Sam, who nodded calmly. His unruly and carefree demeanor was restrained, and his composed attitude showed that he wasn't joking.Zane fell silent again, furrowing his brow as he intently observed Sam.It was as if he thought everything through in an instant, giving up without hesitation. He didn't even remind Zane of the request from years ago to take care of Penny. Instead, he said this would be the last time he would help out.Logically speaking, this should be a satisfactory outcome for Zane. After all, from any perspective, the Lowe family's scion would only be a burden to Sam.Looking again at Sam's attitude, it seemed he didn't want Penny to know he was the one quietly spending money to handle things behind the scenes.Since there was no plan to meet her, he didn't need to worry about anything after that. If that was the case, it would be better to just end it early.That way, if Sam saw Penny falling in love, getting mar
All those old scoundrels from the Lowe family undoubtedly ranked the highest. Then there was Jessica, the entertainment industry's national goddess, who also played a significant role.Besides them, there were a few minor celebrities who didn't really make the cut.However, as Sam's partner and someone who watched him grow up, Zane privately hoped Sam could find a better girl.So, he advised, "There are plenty of socialites in Riverwood, and Amdale has no shortage of beautiful young ladies, either, and Rookfort isn't much different."You and the Lowe family's daughter haven't even officially met…""Who said I haven't met her?" Sam interrupted him without a second thought.He had even seen her twice. How could Zane say they hadn't even met yet?The first time, she gave him all the money she had. The second time, he spoke up to help her get that role.After these interactions, they could be considered acquaintances.Zane choked up and couldn't find the words to refute.He was s
Because Penny declined his offer, Zane didn't insist. After a bit of small talk, he ended the call.He politely mentioned that if she needed any help, she could call this number again. If he could assist in any way, he certainly would.However, Zanw knew very well that, given Penny's temperament, she would rather give up what she had than actively seek help from a stranger.Yes, to Penny, Zane was just a stranger. He was a person she had met once but didn't really know.This time, Penny didn't respond as coldly as she did when she was 18. Instead, she exchanged a couple of polite pleasantries, mentioned that she would reach out if needed, and then hung up the phone.After that, she let out a long sigh of relief and lay on the lounge chair on the balcony, gazing at the view outside the window.There were fluffy white clouds in the azure sky and the greenery visible in the neighborhood. Sparrows were chirping persistently as they darted through the forest, and the cicadas loudly bu
Although the other person said only one word, Penny could still tell he didn't have any ill intentions.Because of that faint sense of familiarity, Penny didn't hang up the phone immediately. "Hello? May I ask what this is about?"The unfamiliar and distant tone probably made the man on the other end of the phone pause for a moment. It was only after a brief silence that he responded."Young lady, don't you remember me? It's Zane Moran."His voice carried a laugh, with a hint of teasing.Only then did Penny remember who he was, but she wasn't happy at all.Zane meant no harm when that incident happened back then. But despite that, over the years that had passed, he became one of the people and things Penny would rather not recall.Whether it was the exam she missed, the incident where Spencer took her to the hotel against her will, or Zane, who gave her 30 dollars for a taxi ride.She just wanted to hide all of them deep in her memories.The recent events had particularly made
"I'm fine. You all don't have to look so worried. You're making it seem as if something bad is going to happen to me."Penny looked at the two people at the door who were showing a range of expressions, feeling speechless.Cecilia was provoked by her words, and her eyes turned red."We're worried about you. You have no idea what you look like right now. You're almost like one of those disheartened protagonists in novels who hated the world."Penny clicked her tongue twice and said, "Aren't you exaggerating?"She didn't believe it. She was just worried about money. It wasn't like she had become disillusioned with life.Besides, she didn't dislike this world at all. On the contrary, she really liked it.Whenever Penny came across posts online suggesting that all humans should just die, she always felt like rolling her eyes. If they wanted to die, they shouldn't drag others with them.When searching for her own role in movies, TV dramas, and novels, Penny particularly preferred re
Penny's way of clarifying things was to simply tell the truth.Sometimes, trying to cover things up would just lead to needing 100 more lies to continue the cover-up. That would often end up making things worse and more ridiculous.It was better to tell the truth about the situation.To answer the question of why she lashed out at the Lowe family, she briefly explained her experiences over the years.Why didn't she attend the final paper of the college entrance examinations? She personally reopened that old wound.As for that man in the hotel, Penny didn't have much of an impression of him anymore. She only remembered not taking his business card and accepting 30 dollars from him.Why did she show up at that man's hotel room? She wrote it down truthfully—it was her father who personally took her and left her at the hotel, wanting to trade her like a commodity.Every single word was carefully considered and written by Penny.She didn't share much of these things with Cecilia. Th
Once the official statements were released, Penny's career being ruined became a certainty.The only surprising thing was probably that after the film crew issued their statement, the largest investor also requested to withdraw.The film crew was completely shocked, but there was nothing they could do. The scion was willing to lose money just to withdraw his investment, so what could they do?The amount of money in the compensation was nothing compared to the amount that the scion planned to invest. The production team would incur a significant loss.With one less investor, the project's status was essentially downgraded. They had much less room to manipulate their gains now, too.One would understand why the scion was doing this if they used their brain a little.However, the protests from the audience couldn't be ignored, and compared to the investors, it was clearly more important to keep the show going.After all, they could always attract more sponsors, even if the amount o
In addition to the widespread backlash caused by the phone recording, Penny's academic credentials were also scrutinized and exposed.Before the college entrance exam, she had always been the top student in her school and had never ranked anything else.However, in the college entrance exam, she barely passed the minimum mark for key institutions, far below her usual performance.Some people speculated that she had been cheating during regular exams and that her actual abilities were much worse.However, the exam results could be checked online, and the fact that Penny scored zero on the last exam was surprising.It was even more shocking that she was admitted to a top-tier university despite missing an exam. It was truly exceptional.But few people paid attention to this information.After all, the achievements attained through hard work couldn't be faked. Even if the results weren't as expected, it was undeniable that she was stronger than many others.Regarding this topic, t