Chapter 67

Charlotte stood off to the side, her right foot pressed against the wall. The crisp black and white of her uniform made her look even slimmer, her pale skin almost glowing under the hallway lights. Her hair was long and dark and fell softly over her shoulders. She wore an old, faded backpack slung across her body, and her eyes— clear and cool-were locked on Shirley.
Shirley let out a startled yelp and scrambled to her feet. “Charlotte!”
Charlotte glanced at the laptop screen, where the school forum had already exploded with hundreds of new messages. Most of them trashed her, calling her arrogant and just waiting for her to fail. The rest were going after Shirley.
“Charlotte, I… I believe in you,” Shirley said, voice trembling, eyes shining with sincerity as she stepped closer. “You can totally get second place. Don’t listen to what they’re saying online.”
Charlotte just smiled, calm and unaffected. “Actually, I came here to ask you for a favor.”
“Huh?” Shirley blinked, completely lost.
She stared at Charlotte, cheeks turning pink. “Is… is there something I can help with?” Honestly, all she was good at was studying.
“I’ve been looking for a physics tutor. I want you to help me,” Charlotte said, pulling a stack of cash from her bag and holding it out. “Tutors outside charge five hundred per session, and I’ll probably need a few. Since we’re friends, how about a discount? One thousand for however many lessons it takes. Sound good?”
Shirley froze, not sure if she’d heard right. Charlotte wanted her to tutor physics?
“But… aren’t you worried I’ll mess up? My physics grades are always at the bottom
“Do you want to help or not?” Charlotte cut her off, raising an eyebrow.
Seriously, as if someone who’d won a national physics competition would ever rank at the bottom of their class. Shirley probably just kept her head down and tanked her scores to avoid attention because of all the bullying.
“I’ll do it!” Shirley nodded hard and quickly tried to give the money back. “You said we’re friends. I can’t take your money.”
“Even between friends, things should be clear.” Charlotte pressed the money back into her hands. “If you don’t take it, I’ll have to find a regular tutor, and at five hundred a session, I can’t afford it. With you, a thousand gets me way more lessons. I’m the one getting the better end of the deal.”
Shirley just stared, still trying to process. Did it really work out that way? “But-”
Charlotte shot her a look that instantly made Shirley clam up.
“Then… I’ll do my best. I’ll teach you everything I know,” Shirley promised, a little flustered but determined.
Charlotte nodded, taking out her phone so they could swap contacts. She checked the time. “I’ve got something to do today. Let’s start tomorrow afternoon.”
“Charlotte—” Shirley called after her, but Charlotte was already gone, disappearing down the hallway. There was only a week until the exam. Wasn’t she worried at all?
Shirley hesitated, then pulled out her phone and found Charlotte’s profile. After a few seconds of nerves, she sent over a set of physics problems.
Her message was shy and a little anxious: Charlotte, here are some practice problems. Try them out, and if you get stuck, I’ll help you tomorrow.
She hit send, clutching her phone as her heart pounded. A few seconds later, Charlotte replied.
File received.
Can I leave the ones I don’t know blank?
Of course, Shirley answered right away. Charlotte’s foundation wasn’t great, so it was normal for her to have trouble with some of the questions.
That’s fine then, Charlotte replied.
That’s fine? For some reason, seeing those words made Shirley feel a wave of unease. Surely she’d at least try the basic questions. She wouldn’t just leave everything blank… right?
Trying to reassure herself, Shirley tucked her phone away and carefully put the thousand yuan in her bag Her smile Ift up her face. Tonight, she could finally buy something nice
for her grandma.
After school, Charlotte changed out of her uniform and stuffed it in her bag. She
hopped on her motorcycle, the engine rumbling to life.
Night had fallen, and city lights
flickered on across the streets. A
black sports car glided down a busy avenue. Inside, Kenneth held his phone, a lazy smile tugging at his lips as he chatted with Anthony.
“It’s just a girl. Why are you being so secretive? Not even letting me see her?”
Anthony’s laugh came through the speaker, warm and indulgent. “She’s one of a kind. Of course I’m going to keep her close.”
Kenneth rolled his eyes. He’d seen his share of beautiful women. Was this one really so special?
Suddenly, a loud roar filled the air as a flashy red motorcycle pulled up right next to him. Kenneth glanced over, not expecting much, but then he saw her underneath the helmet sawher the girl’s profile was so striking it made his heart skip a beat.
That face…