William froze. He looked down at the test paper—every answer was correct.
No one could believe Autumn had memorized the answers beforehand. There were far too many questions; it would have taken enormous effort.
The room fell silent. Everyone was thinking something different.
Ethan James secretly glared at William. If it weren't for him, he never would've doubted his own sister for cheating!
But apologizing? That, he couldn't bring himself to do.
It was Anna Hawthorne who broke the tension with a soft smile.
"I told you Autumn wouldn't cheat. See? It was all a misunderstanding."
Just then, the housekeeper's voice boomed from downstairs.
"Dinner's ready!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and made their way to the dining room.
As usual, William stayed for dinner before being driven home later.
Tonight, however, the atmosphere was livelier—Anna was there, cheerful and well-mannered, keeping the table warm with conversation.
They all sat down together, laughing, ready to eat.
Autumn stood quietly before the table, her eyes sweeping over the dishes.
Her expression didn't change, but her tone was polite when she asked,"Mrs. Zhang, where's the sweet-and-sour ribs I asked you to make?"
The housekeeper stepped out of the kitchen, apron still on.
She blinked, then smiled awkwardly."Oh! I forgot, miss. I'm so sorry. I must be getting old. There weren't any ribs left in the house today—how about tomorrow? I'll buy some fresh ones at the market. Please just make do tonight."
Once upon a time, Autumn would've forced a smile for the sake of peace and harmony.
But not anymore.
"You realized we didn't have ribs while cooking," she said evenly. "Why didn't you tell me then? Now you've made all this, and none of it's what I asked for. That's quite inconvenient, isn't it?"
Her words were calm, her smile soft—but her presence pressed closer and closer, like invisible weight.
Mrs. Zhang wrung her hands, glancing desperately at Anna for help.
Anna sighed inwardly—why was she being dragged into this?
But for the sake of her "kind and gentle" image, she spoke up softly:"Autumn, it's okay. You can have the cola chicken instead. Mrs. Zhang makes that really well!"
Autumn's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, really?"
Every time Autumn asked for cola chicken before, Mrs. Zhang had brushed her off, saying it was "too much trouble." And now suddenly it wasn't?
Her amused gaze fell on the housekeeper, who lowered her head in guilt.
Ethan finally lost his patience."Enough, Autumn! Mrs. Zhang didn't do it on purpose. It's just ribs—you can eat them another day. Why make things difficult for her over something so small?"
Autumn laughed—soft and sharp."Make things difficult? Me?"
"She's a housekeeper. She's paid twenty thousand a month. If she can't even handle this little task, that's my fault now?"
William frowned slightly. The housekeeper had made a mistake, but Autumn was being too aggressive.
He opened his mouth to speak—
—but Autumn suddenly reached out, picked up the entire plate of cola chicken wings, and calmly dumped it into the trash bin.
She looked straight at Ethan."Oops, my hand slipped. Don't take it to heart, brother. It's just one dish—you can always have it next time."
Ethan's face turned white.
That dish was Anna's favorite. When her father was still alive, she had always loved Mrs. Zhang's cola chicken.
Now, she rarely visited, and Autumn dared to throw it away?
Ethan's heart sank. When had his sister become so unreasonable?
Autumn didn't care what he thought.
She rinsed her hands, went upstairs to grab her schoolbag and ID, and walked straight to the door without another glance.
Everyone stayed frozen at the table.
Anna, though inwardly thrilled, maintained a perfect look of concern.
"Ethan," she whispered, tugging lightly at his sleeve. "Shouldn't we—"
"Let her go!" Ethan snapped coldly. "We'll eat."
Anna pressed her lips together, pretending worry as she watched Autumn's figure disappear beyond the door, before lowering her eyes to pick at her food demurely.
Outside, Autumn called Uncle Warren to pick her up.
"Just drop me off downtown," she told him.
He sighed deeply, trying to persuade her as they drove."Miss, why argue with the young master? If you apologize, he'll forgive you—he's your brother, after all. He cares for you."
Autumn's heart softened slightly.
Uncle Warren was one of the few people who had truly cared for her—in this life and the last.
Back then, he had always tried to mend her relationship with Ethan. But no matter how hard he tried, Ethan never listened.
When others bullied her, Uncle Warren protected her like his own daughter—took her out to cheer her up, spoke gently to her.
And in the last life, he'd died in a "car accident" Anna had orchestrated.
Not this time.
She smiled warmly at him. "Go home and rest, Uncle Warren. And don't forget to pick me up after school tomorrow."
He chuckled. "Of course, miss. Be careful out there."
Yuncheng was a modern city, bright even at night. Neon and headlights shimmered through the streets.
Autumn checked into a small hotel, dropped her bag, and went out again for food.
It was late—closer to midnight than dinner.
The air was crisp; she zipped up her hoodie, pulled the hood over her head, and ducked into a nearby convenience store.
She bought some oden and a rice ball, sitting quietly at a back table.
Her lashes cast long shadows as she ate slowly, the warmth spreading through her chest.
Outside the glass window, the city's lights blurred in motion.
For a moment, Autumn felt oddly detached from it all—as if she were looking at someone else's world.
"Hi there, are you from Yuncheng High School?"
A girl with a ponytail and a soft, innocent face sat down beside her, holding her own bowl of oden.
Autumn glanced up. "And you are…?"
The girl smiled sweetly, dimples showing. "I'm Summer Wan—from Yuncheng High, Class 2A, Science. Nice to meet you."
Autumn blinked. Science class? So they might be classmates soon.
She nodded slightly. "Autumn James."
Her tone was cool, but that didn't deter Summer's warmth.
Summer had seen her earlier—she was the one who had snapped that candid photo of Autumn bathed in sunlight on the school balcony.
"So you're Autumn James," Summer said, eyes bright.
Autumn raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"
Then she realized—of course, everyone did. Thanks to Anna Hawthorne's rumors, the entire school saw her as the "clingy, failing sister."
Autumn smirked faintly.
Summer's eyes sparkled with admiration."Of course I know you. You're… breathtaking."
Autumn was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected that.