Lila stopped and spoke with polite detachment. “Max, Easton, Finn.”
If she didn’t greet them, they would likely accuse her of being stubborn and disrespectful again.
She didn’t have the energy to argue about these things-it would be a waste of time.
Finn raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “How was the exam today? Since you’ve been so focused on studying instead of joining the team, I’m curious to see just how well you’ve done!”
Faced with her sixth brother’s criticism, Lila didn’t take it to heart. Whatever she did, her brothers never approved.
She pressed her lips together. “I’ll do my best.”
Best to improve her grades, best to get into Cloudridge University and get away from them all.
Easton snickered. “Lila has never been academically inclined. She didn’t do well in her first two years of high school, and now right before graduation, she’s cramming-just a show of effort. Her ranking will still be behind Sylvia’s!”
Sylvia smiled. “Easton, don’t say that. Lila has been working very hard lately-even the teacher praised her. Rankings aren’t everything.”
Lila gripped her bag tightly, anger surging through her chest.
In her previous life, there had been a reason for her poor grades.
Every time she outperformed Sylvia, Sylvia would cause trouble for her, making her brothers dislike her.
To avoid her brothers’ disdain, Lila had deliberately performed poorly on tests.
So her scores were always below Sylvia’s, to prevent Sylvia from making a scene.
That didn’t mean she was truly academically weak!
In her previous life’s college entrance exam, she had wanted to surpass Sylvia, to prove she was better.
But what happened? Blake had forced her to apply to the same inferior school as Sylvia.
Even though her scores could have gotten her into a better university!
Thinking of this, Lila struggled to control her emotions. “I’ll go back to my room now.”
Her gaze was ice-cold, but this time she wouldn’t make the same mistake.
The next day was Saturday, and Lila slept in.
When she went downstairs for breakfast, the hall was empty.
They had probably gone to the training camp.
Lila didn’t mind and returned to her bedroom after eating.
She checked her phone for news about the gaming competition.
Sure enough, the official announcement for the wildcard tournament had been released.
Just like in her previous life.
Back then, Finn had been fired up for the wildcard tournament, determined to win.
Only by advancing could they face the young son of the Chase family in the finals and get revenge!
But in her previous life, the Landon Warriors’ championship had been somewhat of a fluke.
The young Chase heir had withdrawn from the competition at the crucial moment, giving them a chance at the championship.
As for why he had withdrawn, Lila never knew the reason until her dying day.
Some said it was due to sudden illness, others that his family had forced him to return and inherit the family business, but the person himself had never clarified.
Looking at the game description, Lila suddenly felt the urge to play.
But Dr. Sean’s voice echoed in her mind.
She had promised him to wait for her monthly exam results before playing.
Fine, she would wait until the results were out.
She took out her phone and, after much deliberation, sent Dr. Sean a message: Teacher, I didn’t come to the infirmary after school last week because Max discovered I wasn’t returning home on time. I was worried he would find my secret base, so I didn’t come.
After sending the message, Lila stared at the chat for a long time, but there was no reply.
She couldn’t help checking Dr. Sean’s social media, only to find it empty.
Didn’t this man post anything?
Strange!
Meanwhile, Dr. Sean looked at the message he had received, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Sean, who’s messaging you?”
Dr. Sean locked his screen.
Cole raised an eyebrow. “Judging by the profile picture, it’s a girl. Could it be that girl you helped the other day-what was her name, Lila?”
“You talk too much.”
“I think you’re just feeling guilty. You worked late at the infirmary all last week, then suddenly stopped going. These past few days you’ve had a long face-did you two have a fight?”
Dr. Sean turned his head, his eyes dangerous. “Don’t be curious about my affairs.”
“We grew up together. What don’t I know about you? Stop pretending!”
Dr. Sean took his phone to the balcony and looked down at the chat.
In her eyes, was the infirmary a secret base?
He found himself smiling involuntarily and checked her social media.
It was mostly everyday shares, very girlish in style.
After browsing for a while, he suddenly realized he had spent too much time thinking about her. The feeling was somewhat out of control.
Dr. Sean exited the chat app and returned to the living room.
Lila waited all day but received no reply.
Was he angry?
But she didn’t dare send another message to disturb him. She would wait until Monday when the results were out.
The entire weekend, Lila stayed home studying.
Sylvia and her brothers didn’t return, choosing to stay at the training camp.
Monday morning.
Lila came downstairs and finally saw Sylvia along with her brothers.
They were laughing and chatting, clearly having grown closer.
Lila said nothing and went directly to the dining room to eat.
Finn spoke with mockery in his voice. “The results come out today, right?”
Lila nodded. “Yes.”
“I advised you early on to join the team. With your grades, you won’t get into any good school anyway. Rather than wasting time studying, you should have trained to become a professional player. With the resources our family can provide, your fame would just be a matter of time. It’s a pity you didn’t cherish this opportunity, and it went to Sylvia instead.”
Lila thought of the humiliation of being replaced in her previous life.
She calmly replied, “I don’t really care.”
Lila grabbed breakfast from the dining room and left the hall.
Seeing Lila’s indifference, Finn fumed. “I’m waiting to see her ‘good results’! Hmph!”
Sylvia felt relieved that Lila had refused to join the team.
She knew Lila had talent for gaming, and if Lila joined, there would be no position for her.
However, on the surface, she smiled and said, “Finn, don’t be angry. Lila is just being stubborn. Once she agrees to join the team, I’ll immediately give my position to her.”
Finn nodded appreciatively. “You’re the most sensible one!”
Sylvia’s smile froze slightly, her heart filled with resentment. She had been practicing frantically to gain Finn’s approval.
Unfortunately, Finn still seemed to think Lila was more capable.
Sylvia resolved to achieve results in gaming that would make Finn abandon any thoughts of recruiting Lila.
Finn’s expression showed concern. The wildcard tournament was crucial-if they lost, there would be no more chances.
Although Sylvia was working hard, her gaming talent was lacking. With only a month left until the wildcard tournament, Sylvia’s skills simply weren’t good enough.
To defeat the Chase heir, they needed someone with real ability!
Now, Lila was the only option.
But he couldn’t bring himself to ask her. For years, Lila had revolved around him, timidly trying to please him.
He had grown accustomed to that dynamic between them and couldn’t adjust to the change.
How long would Lila keep up this attitude?
Was she forcing him to bow his head to her?