Haishi Middle School, Class 37 of Grade 12!
Ever since he moved into the school dorms, Lin Ge had cherished the time he saved for his studies. He spent his days buried in textbooks, having almost no leisure time at all. Although he had been reborn, it was essentially like repeating his senior year of high school. In his previous life, even with the college entrance exam fast approaching, he had spent his time pondering how to please his parents and sisters, doing whatever he could for them. The moment they gave an order, he would immediately drop his books and run off to serve them. Sometimes, he would even skip classes for their sake, sacrificing his own study time. That went without saying for his daily life, too. Everyone in the class knew that this student, who had transferred in during the second semester of his freshman year, was constantly asking for leave. If it weren't for his grades, which remained consistently around the top 600 in the school and the top 20 in his class, his head teacher would have likely had a serious talk with him already. After all, at Haishi No. 1 High School, as long as you were within the top 2,000 in the school, getting into a tier-one university was a breeze.
Liu Tiancheng had once curiously asked him how he managed to maintain his grades without slipping despite his frequent absences. But because he missed so much class, even with his high aptitude and remarkable memory, his shortcomings were exposed during the three mock exams before the college entrance exam. There was still a gap between him and the standard needed to get into the best universities in the country. Thus, the Lin Ge of this life understood that talent alone was not enough; one still needed diligence and hard work. Without diligence and hard work, no matter how talented someone was, they would eventually fade into the crowd.
Therefore, after leaving the Lin Family, Lin Ge poured all his energy into his studies. Of course, all high school seniors were basically putting their hearts and souls into studying. They had reached the final stretch, with the fire literally at their heels; if they didn't struggle now, there would be no saving them. During early morning study, Lin Ge was burying his head in the desk, memorizing an English text. That’s right—while others were memorizing English vocabulary, the top student Lin Ge was memorizing entire English texts. This move alone left his desk-mate, Liu Tiancheng, stunned.
"My god, you're amazing, man! I don't admire anything, but I truly admire you!"
Just then, a student shouted from the doorway: "Who is Lin Ge? Someone is looking for you at the school gate!"
Lin Ge lifted his head from his textbook and asked with a frown, "Who's looking for me?"
But the student ran off immediately after shouting. He was a senior, too, and time was tight. If it weren't for the fact that the young lady was very pretty and spoke gently, he wouldn't have bothered climbing all the way to the fifth floor to call someone. His own classroom was on the fourth floor; he could have memorized two more English words in the time it took to climb that extra flight of stairs.
Receiving no answer, Lin Ge had no choice but to get up and head downstairs toward the school gate. To his surprise, the visitor was his second sister, Lin Jiayi. She was driving a silver-grey Audi A6L, looking quite low-key. Lin Jiayi was sitting in the driver's seat; seeing him arrive, she rolled down the window.
"Get in."
Lin Ge walked over but didn't get in. Instead, he asked coldly, "Is there something you need?"
Lin Jiayi had come to see Lin Ge behind their mother's back. Although their mother had said she wouldn't easily forgive Lin Ge, Lin Jiayi felt that she should still give him a chance to return to the Lin Family. Moreover, their mother’s migraines needed his soothing; his technique was skilled, and he was used to massaging her in the past. If she could bring him back to massage and treat their mother, perhaps she wouldn't be in such pain. She had expected Lin Ge to be overjoyed to see her. Even though she had once heard his inner voice saying he wanted nothing to do with the Lin Family anymore, she still harbored a hopeful delusion, thinking that after a few days of cooling off, he might return to the way he was before, given that he had spent the last two years completely devoted to his family, valuing their bond above all else.
However, the scene she had imagined did not happen. Lin Ge’s expression was indifferent, as if she were a total stranger.
"If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving. I have study time, and I’m very busy." Seeing that Lin Jiayi remained silent for a long moment, Lin Ge grew impatient and turned to walk away.
"Lin Ge...!"
Lin Jiayi suddenly felt hurt and annoyed. The contrast in Lin Ge’s behavior was so stark that she found it difficult to accept. "Why are you like this? Being so cold to me—after all, we’re still siblings, we’re family!"
Lin Jiayi stepped out of the car as she spoke. She had a tall figure and an outstanding aura, tinged with a hint of sadness and vexation. In the past, if Lin Jiayi had taken the initiative to find him, Lin Ge would have surrendered to his second sister long ago. But now, forgive him—he felt absolutely nothing.
"Oh, really? I seem to remember that I’ve already severed ties with you all. I’m nothing to you anymore!" Lin Ge stopped and turned around with a mocking smile.
"Don't be like this, Lin Ge. Mom and Dad were just too anxious that day. It's been so many days, stop holding a grudge! It’s been so long, surely whatever you felt should have faded by now!"
"Holding a grudge? Hahaha!" Lin Ge laughed mockingly. "You call this holding a grudge? No, you're wrong. I'm not holding a grudge; I have truly severed ties with your Lin Family! Let’s just go our separate ways and keep the peace, wouldn't that be better?"
"Fine. I know you’re upset because everyone assumed you stole Mom’s necklace that day. Maybe you didn't take it. Just go back and explain it to Mom and Dad, alright?"
"I go back and explain? Then you tell me: all of you were biased against me and determined I was the thief without a shred of evidence. How exactly am I supposed to explain that?" Lin Ge coldly interrogated Lin Jiayi. "If you only came here to tell me this, then let me be clear: I will not return to your Lin Family. Do not come looking for me again. Do you understand?"
"You...! Your Lin Family? Do you really not consider yourself a Lin anymore? The way you're acting is just so uncultured!" Lin Jiayi asked in disbelief, her voice filled with anger.
Lin Ge couldn't be bothered to respond and turned to leave again. Meanwhile, he muttered to himself, "I'm afraid none of you could ever guess who the real thief is, could you? If one day you find out that the necklace was stolen by your precious Lin Qingyang, what kind of expressions will you have? Is he 'cultured' then?"
Watching Lin Ge’s resolute back as he walked away and hearing his inner thoughts, Lin Jiayi felt a sense of helplessness. Lin Ge’s attitude was something she had never anticipated. If this were the past, she only needed to crook her finger, and Lin Ge would have happily come to her side, asking fawningly what his second sister needed. But now? Lin Jiayi clearly saw that the Lin Ge who used to obey her every command had vanished. And as for the matter of the necklace, what could she do? Even if Lin Qingyang had really taken it, how could she prove it? Her aunt would certainly keep the necklace well hidden. Without the necklace, the case was impossible to solve.
"Hey, Lin Ge! Mom’s migraines are acting up. Can't you come back and see her?" Lin Jiayi still wouldn't give up, calling out to his retreating back, hoping to move him by mentioning their mother.