Anna was still going on and on with her compliments.
Autumn James's lips twitched slightly before she cut her off. "You're beautiful too. Anyway, I'm done eating—I'll head out first. Take your time."
Without waiting for Anna's reaction, Autumn stood up and left the restaurant.
Anna rested her chin in her palm, watching Autumn's back disappear through the door, her eyes practically glowing. "God, she's so cool. If only she were in our class—I'd get to see her every day."
Autumn had no idea what Anna was thinking.
After returning to her hotel, she packed up her things and went straight to bed.
The next morning, she headed back to school.
The hotel wasn't far—just a short walk away.
The first thing Autumn did upon arriving was head to the office to hand in her transfer application.
Once all the necessary teachers and administrators had reviewed and signed off, the next step was for her to take a placement exam in science. Depending on her results, she'd be assigned to the appropriate class.
After turning in the forms, Autumn made her way back to her classroom.
But something was off.
The usually loud and rowdy room was strangely quiet today.
In the back row by the window—where no one ever sat—there was now a boy who wasn't wearing a school uniform.
He was sprawled across his desk, his soft, messy hair falling over his face, making him look like a sleeping cat.
No one dared to disturb him. Even though it was morning self-study, not a single person was reading aloud.
Autumn didn't care enough to dwell on it. She cast one brief glance at the boy, then lowered her head and rested her own arms on her desk.
The current coursework was child's play to her anyway.
Maybe it was the poor sleep last night, but she soon drifted off completely.
She didn't know how long she'd been out when—
BANG!
Someone kicked her desk hard enough to rattle it, jolting her awake.
Autumn's brows furrowed as she slowly lifted her head, eyes still hazy with sleep.
"Hey, Autumn James, where's my breakfast?"
Ethan James.
Autumn ran a hand through her hair with clear irritation. "Your breakfast? What's that got to do with me? Go ask the cafeteria lady, and stop bugging me. I'm trying to sleep."
Her tone dripped with impatience.
Ethan froze. Never—not once in all these years—had Autumn spoken to him like that.
"Are you crazy? How dare you talk to me that way?!" His voice trembled, somewhere between anger and disbelief.
Autumn didn't bother responding. She dropped her head back down onto her folded arms and tried to go back to sleep.
"Autumn James!" Ethan barked, grabbing her arm and yanking her upright. "I told you to go buy me breakfast! Didn't you hear me?!"
Autumn's patience snapped. She turned and kicked him squarely in the leg.
Ethan wasn't expecting it at all—he stumbled backward and landed hard on the floor.
Unlike the last time, no one rushed to scold Autumn. Instead, the class burst into muffled laughter.
"Serves him right! Always making Autumn buy him breakfast—like, dude, get a grip."
"Seriously. What does he think she is, his mom? He's got hands, doesn't he?"
"Guess karma finally caught up to him. About time."
Anna Hawthorne had just come back from the restroom.
She saw Ethan sitting on the floor and instinctively hurried to help him up—after all, he was her "future golden ticket."
But as soon as her damp hand touched his arm, Ethan snapped, "Don't touch me. Your hand's wet. Disgusting."
Anna froze, then stumbled backward, smacking her lower back against a desk. Pain shot up her spine, and she had to bite back a curse.
God, what an idiot. Totally not worth the trouble.
But before she could even think about giving up, the system voice rang in her head:
"Target: Ethan James. Current favorability—fifty-four. Progress slow. Keep working, host."
Anna clenched her teeth. Ethan might be the youngest of the group, but he was also the hardest to win over.
And after all this time, his favorability was still just fifty-four? Pathetic.
She wanted to help him up again—but her back still hurt, and honestly, she couldn't be bothered anymore.
Let the fool embarrass himself.
Meanwhile, Autumn had completely changed from the person she used to be.
She walked over to Ethan, crouched down, and looked at him evenly.
He's just a kid, she reminded herself. You don't fight with kids.
She took a steady breath.
"I'm your sister, am I?"
Ethan shook his head. They weren't related.
"My cooking's better than the cafeteria's?"
Another shake of the head. Both tasted awful.
"I look free to you?"
Still no. If anything, she looked exhausted.
"Then why do you keep asking me to buy your food? You don't have hands?"
Autumn stood up, staring down at him from above.
Ethan's mouth opened—but no sound came out.
Because you used to do it without me asking, he thought.
But he didn't dare say it aloud. Not when he saw how cold her eyes were.
Then, just as the tension peaked, Autumn's tone shifted.
"You want me to keep bringing you breakfast? Fine. But first—you're paying your tab."
Ethan blinked. Then, as if something clicked, he smirked. Of course. It's about money.
He patted the dust off his uniform and stood up, sneering slightly. The James family had plenty of money—what could she possibly need more of?
"How much do you want? Fifty bucks enough? Get me a pork bun, some dumplings, and soy milk. Keep the change."
He was already pulling out his phone to transfer the money.
Around them, the class exchanged glances of envy.
Lucky girl—got herself an easy side hustle.
But Autumn only smiled faintly. "Hold on. Why rush? You think this is just about today's breakfast? What about all the other days you ate?"
Ethan's grin widened. Now this was familiar.
There it is—the greedy little gold-digger side of her.
"Fine. I'll give you two thousand. Cover my breakfast for a month. The rest's your tip."
He said it like he was granting her a favor, certain she'd jump at the offer.
But Autumn actually laughed. "Ethan, you must still be dreaming. I'm not talking about the future. I'm talking about the past."
Her tone turned bright and businesslike.
"Let's see—since high school, I've been bringing you breakfast every single day. One month's thirty days, one semester's four months, plus one extra month this term. That's about one hundred and twenty days. At fifty a day, that's seventy-five hundred total. I'll even waive the delivery fees and holidays. You're welcome."
She spoke with the serene politeness of a debt collector who thought she was doing him a favor.
"Now, transfer it, Ethan."
She switched smoothly from her calculator app to her QR payment code, holding her phone out to him.
The entire class gaped.
Ethan stared at her, dumbfounded.
Finally, under the weight of a hundred watching eyes, he gritted his teeth—and transferred eight thousand dollars.
"There. Happy now?" His voice trembled with restrained fury.
"Perfect," Autumn said with a bright smile. "I'll go get your breakfast right now."
She turned toward the door.
"Don't bother!" Ethan shouted after her, his eyes a little red. "Forget it! I don't want it anymore!"
He didn't understand. She used to bring him food without being asked. She used to smile when she did it.
Now she just saw him as a paycheck.
Autumn, on the other hand, looked pleased. She went back to her seat, lay her head down again, and said nothing at all.