Chapter 8

"Scarlett, how did you end up offending the Quinn family?" Bill asked, his tone stern yet concerned. Instead of answering, Scarlett asked, "My expulsion from school, that was the Quinn family's doing, wasn't it?" Bill nodded, smiled, and said, "I didn't agree. In my school, no one's influence holds sway. Besides…" He paused, glancing at the man beside him before continuing, "Someone spoke up for you. That made it even less likely for me to hand you over to another school." Scarlett looked at Xavier in surprise. Xavier sat lazily on a couch, his long legs casually crossed, radiating a sense of refined nobility and keen intellect. She grew even more puzzled. Who exactly was this man, and why would he speak up for her? Bill then turned to Xavier and said, "Mr. Stroud, weren't you looking for a tutor for Percy? I think Scarlett would be perfect." As soon as Bill finished speaking, Percy pointed at Scarlett and cried out in disbelief, "You want her to tutor me? You're kidding, right? In every exam since she transferred here, she has ranked last! Her total score isn't even higher than mine!" He tilted his head proudly, as if his scores were something to brag about. Xavier shot him a cold glance. "You couldn't even get into Class A, and you still have the nerve to talk about others?" Scratching his nose, Percy fell silent, though he looked visibly displeased. With a smile, Bill said, "I trust my judgment. There's no way I could be wrong about her." Percy snorted, convinced that Xavier would never agree. After all, Xavier cared a lot about his academic performance. He wouldn't have come here and fussed about his results otherwise. Moreover, Xavier had even rejected many guaranteed admissions on his behalf, insisting that he take the SATS. Percy said, "There's no way my grand-uncle will agree!" Just as the words left his mouth, Xavier said in a deep voice, "Sure." The shocked Percy whipped his head around, staring at Xavier in disbelief. Just as he was about to protest, a cold warning glance from Xavier silenced him. Though still unwilling to accept this, Percy became even more confused. What the hell was going on with Xavier today? Scarlett couldn't help but say, "I haven't agreed yet." Xavier's lips curled slightly. "Oh, you will." The exasperated Scarlett raised a brow, intrigued by his confidence. "And what if I won't? Your relative here doesn't exactly look studious." Percy immediately exploded, bouncing on the spot and pointing at Scarlett. "You're the stupid one! Who works as a maid and gets kicked out? That's just embarrassing!" Scarlett was speechless. Xavier swept his gaze across Scarlett, his eyes unreadable as he looked like he could see right through her. "You must be strapped for cash." Scarlett frowned and said nothing. It was true she was short on money, but she'd never admit it so easily. As if seeing through her again, Xavier added, "If you tutor Percy, for every point he improves on the next exam, you get ten thousand." Scarlett's eyes narrowed a little. Truth be told, Percy wasn't stupid. He simply never took studying seriously. In her past life, after entering the underachievers' class, she realized that even the worst-off rich kids usually had guaranteed admissions. Only she and Percy were left to rely purely on the SATs. In her past life, she'd assumed Percy's background was just as tragic as hers. Only now did she realize that sometimes, the more powerful the background, the fewer shortcuts were allowed. Back then, she lived through hell every day, bullied by half the class. As for Percy, he would occasionally stand up for her, but most of the time, he wasn't even at school—he was killing time at internet cafés. In the end, Percy must have offended someone, as he was ambushed and beaten in an alley just days before the SATs and never even made it to the test hall. This life, considering Percy had once helped her out occasionally, she didn't mind giving him a hand. Besides, he had a lot of potential, which meant she could earn a lot more. Xavier fixed his gaze on Scarlett and spoke again. "After the SATs, for every point above the top-tier university cutoff, you get 100,000 dollars per point." Scarlett was stunned. Good lord, did his family own a gold mine or something? How could he be that rich? Her heart thudded madly at the offer, but on the surface, she remained calm. "Fine, I'll give it a try. Not for the money, of course. It's just that I see some potential in Percy here. I'd hate to see him waste it and do badly on the SATs." Percy gave her a look of pure disdain. With a frown, he remarked, "You expect anyone to believe that? Money-grubber!" Scarlett said nothing in response. Bill chuckled. "Good, it's settled then. Scarlett, Percy, go back to class. I still have some matters to discuss with Mr. Stroud." Scarlett nodded. As she turned to leave, she glanced again at the tall, handsome Xavier. Bill addressed Xavier rather respectfully. There shouldn't be such a distinguished person in Yendale, though. By the time she left, the class bell had already rung a while ago. Percy raced back to the classroom while Scarlett calmly wheeled her suitcase to the dormitory. Even though she had cleared her name this lifetime, she found her bed turned into a garbage heap just like before. It was covered in trash. There were drinks and toiletry liquids spilled, soaking her sheets and blanket, and her mattress was wet too. Scarlett's gaze was cold and indifferent as she stared at the mess. She knew exactly who was behind it. Without a word, she pulled out her spare bedsheets and bedding from her locker, walked over to the bed across from hers, and quickly changed everything out. Then she swapped the items on the matching desk and even changed the assigned student ID tags that showed which beds belonged to whom. Once everything was done, the best bed in the dorm was now hers. Scarlett looked at her new bed and clapped her hands in satisfaction. "Not bad. If others don't know how to cherish what they have, they can't blame me for doing what I have to." Satisfied, she grabbed her textbooks and headed to class. Meanwhile, in Class A, Jonah had been distracted ever since he got back. He pulled out his phone and started browsing for birthday gifts. But no matter how much he looked, nothing seemed as nice or luxurious as what he had gotten for Lily. He decided to order something random since he believed Scarlett would treasure anything she received. After all, she came from the sticks and had probably never even seen anything fancy, unlike Lily, who had been pampered by everyone in the family growing up and had already seen what the world had to offer. "Jonah, are you picking out another gift for me?" came a soft, sweet voice, interrupting what he was doing. He looked up and saw Lily blinking her big, innocent eyes at him, making his heart melt. "But I don't like this color. I prefer this one," Lily said with a bright smile, pointing at a pink stuffed toy. Without hesitation, Jonah ordered it. "I'll but whatever you like. What else do you want?" "Um… Maybe I shouldn't. You've already bought me so many gifts that my room's practically overflowing." Jonah's pupils contracted slightly. Lily's gifts filled up her whole room, but what about Scarlett? Had they ever even given Scarlett a single proper gift? He frowned faintly. "Jonah, what's wrong?" "Lily, help me pick out a gift for Scarlett."