Chapter 4

One month before the SAT, I essentially wrapped up my revision, and everything was in place. Only the final push remained.

My ranking was steady at first place in the grade, unmoving.

At first, Timothy's results were still holding within the top five. Gradually, though, they began to slip.

Tenth, 50th, then 90th.

By the second mock exam, Timothy hit a record low.

He was placed 250th in the grade.

Teachers took turns calling him in for talks. My parents subtly asked whether it was due to excessive pressure that he performed well.

Timothy hesitated, then nodded and agreed.

Unexpectedly, in the exams that followed, his grades suddenly rebounded.

I felt a hint of confusion, but in the end, I didn't press the issue.

The teachers and my parents, however, finally relaxed.

One day, rushing to class, I ran into Timothy and Lucy on the way.

It was truly terrible luck on my end.

Lucy looked at me and smiled coquettishly. "Tim, tell me: am I prettier, or is your little childhood sweetheart prettier?"

Timothy's eyes curved with a smile. "Of course you're prettier."

He quickly added, "And besides, she's not my childhood sweetheart. We're not close. I'm just temporarily staying at her house."

After hearing that, Lucy shot me a smug glance. Then, she rose onto her toes and began to dance beneath the tree, light and graceful like a butterfly.

Timothy watched her intently, as though she were the only thing left in his world.

What a perfectly matched couple. If this weren't happening in the middle of high school, I might have even applauded for them.

Unfortunately, I had no time to watch.

I still had my own road to hurry along.

As for the young couple, I wished them success in their journey ahead.

Soon, it was time for the exam. Looking at the familiar questions on the paper, my eyes grew hot, not from nerves, but for all the effort I poured in.

In the blink of an eye, the three days of exams were over.

Freed from academic constraints, Timothy became even more unrestrained.

He spent every day with Lucy, drinking and singing, living freely and recklessly.

I began researching overseas universities, preparing for my future studies abroad.

Before long, I locked onto my target school: Harbrough Arts University. St. Regis College of Art and Design was one of the world's leading fashion design institutions.

I loved fashion design since childhood. Now, I was finally going to pursue my dream.

Half a month later, the exam results were released.

I managed to place first in the entire province.

Meanwhile, Timothy barely cleared the first-tier cutoff by ten points.

...

When we returned home, my parents' expressions were grim.

Timothy's eyes were slightly red. "Mr. and Mrs. Lane, I'm sorry. I was a bit too nervous during the exam and didn't perform well."

Dad frowned, clearly unconvinced by that explanation.

Mom, soft-hearted as always, immediately softened when she saw him like this.

"It's alright, Timothy. We have some old connections with the dean of the mathematics department at Harbria University. We'll put in a word when the time comes."

Timothy parted his lips, but in the end said nothing.

I knew exactly why: he couldn't bear to leave Lucy.

Yet he didn't want to upset my parents because of her, nor did he want to give up his studies for her.

Out of the bond of knowing him for over ten years, I still wanted to give him a hand.

I arranged to meet Lucy at a café and had a long talk with her.

In the end, I said, "Ms. Quinn, I can offer you one million to send you to the best dance academy abroad for further study, or you can stay with Timothy. Which do you choose?"

A trace of reluctance flashed across Lucy's face, but in the end, she chose the former.

She moved quickly.

The very next day, she was gone, vanished without a trace, blocking and deleting everything in one clean sweep.

What I did not expect, though, was that Lucy left herself a backup plan.