Chapter 6

Just like the Meyer family, most of my teachers and classmates thought I'd lucked out this time and that when the next competition came around, Justin would still be in first place.

Justin didn't let his guard down this time. He stopped wasting time messing around with his lackeys and spent a lot more time on math competitions than before.

But the extra effort he put in was nothing compared to the almost nonstop studying I'd done over the past year.

The second competition I signed up for had more participants and a wider range of problems, and it was also more challenging. On top of that, middle school students were also allowed to participate. Anyone who placed could practically guarantee themselves a spot at the best school in the state.

A few days before the competition, Justin stayed up late studying every night, and my parents couldn't stop worrying about him. They bought him a special lamp to protect his eyes, afraid he'd damage them from studying too long. They also worried he'd get hungry from studying so much, so they always kept a late-night snack warm on the stove.

Justin was genuinely nervous this time. After I beat him for first place in the last competition, he didn't get recruited by top schools like he had in my past life. He was weak in some subjects, and his regular exam scores alone wouldn't be enough to get him into the same middle school as Jemima.

When my parents saw how Justin was studying even during meals while I sat there looking completely relaxed, they started criticizing me.

"Marco, you got first place once, and now you're getting cocky? Even Justin is working this hard, but I haven't seen you solve a single problem lately!"

"Exactly! It's fine if you don't want to study. But do you have to act so carefree? You're distracting Justin!"

I took my last bite and calmly replied, "I'm well prepared, unlike someone who slacks off until the last minute and is trying to cram everything in now."

Justin lifted his head, looking at me with a malicious glint in his eyes.

My heart skipped a beat as a sense of foreboding washed over me. Whenever Justin looked at someone like that in my past life, it meant he was cooking up something nasty. I'd better keep my guard up around him during this competition.

On the day of the competition, I deliberately avoided Justin and asked John to drive me to the venue. I was lining up with the other participants to enter when I suddenly felt someone bump into me. But when I turned around, no one was there.

Remembering the way Justin had looked at me a few days earlier, I quickly checked my pencil case and jacket. To my surprise, I found an unfamiliar earbud in my jacket pocket.

If the metal detector picked it up when I entered, I could be suspected of cheating and disqualified from the exam.

Cold sweat ran down my back. I quickly went to the restroom and flushed the earbud down the toilet bowl.

Once I calmed down, I took my seat in the middle of the exam room. This competition was on a whole different level. Most of the participants were seasoned math competition students, but I was confident I could still place well.

When it ended, I noticed Justin's face was as white as a sheet. He must have been disappointed that I hadn't been disqualified, and the difficulty of this competition had also taught him a harsh lesson.

Sure enough, when the results came out, I ranked 7th overall and won 2nd prize, while Justin ranked 20th and received an honorable mention.

Now everyone knew that I hadn't just won first place last time by a stroke of luck and that I had defeated Justin through my own skills.

My homeroom teacher excitedly announced to the class that several top schools were competing to recruit me.

After class, local reporters came to interview me. They called me a dark horse in the math competition world. I'd completely overshadowed Justin, the former child prodigy.

Even the lackeys who used to worship Justin started hanging around me instead. Jemima bought me a congratulatory bouquet on behalf of the girls in our class. She told me her goal was to attend Aether Middle School and that we might become classmates if I got in too.

This was the last straw for Justin. He immediately took sick leave and went home.

When I returned home with my award certificate tucked in my bag, the Meyer family was waiting for me, all looking furious. A teacup came flying at me, and it grazed my forehead, shattering against the doorframe.

Dad pointed at me, furious. "You still have the nerve to come back here!"

I calmly looked at them. Justin was sobbing in Mom's arms, muttering about how he didn't want to live anymore.

Tiana stood with her hands on her hips and shouted at me, "Marco Meyer! Why did you frame Justin? You're absolutely shameless! Give Justin back what you took from him!"

So that was why Justin had rushed home. He wanted to twist the truth, claiming I'd done to him what he'd actually done to me.

The Meyer family trusted Justin so much that they immediately believed that I'd planted an earbud on him to throw him off during the competition because I wanted to beat him.

Dad looked at me with bitter disappointment, putting on a self-righteous act. "I never thought you'd stoop so low! Come on! You're coming with me to school! Someone like you doesn't deserve an award or a place at Aether Middle School!"

Mom's eyes filled with tears of regret. "I've spoiled you too much. If you just give Justin back what you took, he'll forgive you."

I watched the Meyer family carry on, then gave them a mocking smile. "What if I refuse?"

Dad waved his hand dismissively. "Then get the hell out! I don't have a son like you."

Although I'd been waiting for him to say this, it still hurt. I took a deep breath to calm myself, then looked at my parents and slowly said, "Okay, from now on, I have nothing to do with you guys anymore. But let me be clear. You're not kicking me out. I'm leaving this family since none of you trust me or care about me."