Chapter 1

At the celebration party for my father’s sponsored student, one guest drank too much and said something she should not have said.

“Prof. Dalton is really something. Celine was nine points short, but he still found a way to get her into Northbridge University.”

I thought she was joking.

“Ma’am, my dad is a very honest person. When I was just one point short, he refused to use his connections for me. How could he help someone else? Celine must have gotten in by her own efforts.”

When she saw that I did not believe her, she grew anxious. Her daughter tried to pull her back, but she pushed her hand away.

“It’s true! Celine scored 679, nine points below the math department line. Prof. Dalton even said he would take her as his graduate student in the future.”

“Aren’t you Prof. Rowan Dalton’s son? Why didn’t you go to Northbridge University?”

Slowly, I turned to my parents.

My mother’s face turned pale.

“Stefan, Celine’s family is very poor. If she couldn’t get into Northbridge, she wouldn’t be able to take it.”

“But you are different. We have to avoid suspicion.”

Tears slid down my face before I could stop them.

“So now I understand. As your son, you are not allowed to help with my future. Then, I won’t be your son anymore. That way, you won’t have to avoid suspicion.”

——

Staying here even one more second was painful, so I stood up to leave.

Just as I stood up, my father scolded me.

“Celine Rivers will be my student in the future. If you walk out now, it will look like you’re unhappy with her. Do you know how much that could hurt her reputation?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

So, he never truly listened to me. Or maybe he simply did not care.

All he cared about was how my leaving might affect his sponsored student.

My mother hurried over and grabbed my arm.

“Leaving in the middle of dinner? Where are your manners? No matter how serious the problem is, you must stay until the meal ends.”

Someone I did not know suddenly came over and forced me back into my seat.

The anger inside me finally burst. I turned and flipped the whole table.

Plates crashed to the floor. The room fell silent.

I looked straight at my father. “She was nine points short and you still used your connections to send her into Northbridge.”

“But me? I was only one point short. Fine, I admit I wasn’t good enough. I could still enter through graduate school.”

“I had the highest written test score. I did best in the interviews. I had the most awards. But the professor I chose told me you didn’t want me to enter Northbridge.”

“Tell me, why did you treat me like this?”

I completely lost control. My face was wet with tears.

I looked terrible.

Slap.

My head snapped to the side.

“You are out of line! Apologize to Celine. Now!”

Celine’s mother slapped her thigh and cried out, “I know your father paid for this whole party, but you still shouldn’t waste food like this!”

I laughed coldly.

“My business failed. I owed some money. I asked you to lend me some and you said you had none.”

“So, this is where the money went.”

I didn’t even have a graduation party. They said it would be too showy.

But for an outsider, they prepared eighty-eight tables of food in our hometown.

“If you care about her so much, then let her be your daughter. From today on, unless it’s life or death, don’t contact me ever again.”

I pushed past them and walked out.

My father had not expected me to humiliate him like this. His face went dark with anger.

My phone kept ringing nonstop. I couldn’t reject fast enough, so I turned it off.

I booked the nearest flight and went home.

Only after I arrived did I turn my phone back on.