After dinner, Autumn James asked Uncle Jack to drive them home first before taking her back to the hotel.
The week was almost over, and she knew she needed to start looking for a place to live soon...
Meanwhile, Ethan James brought Anna Hawthorne back to the Crystal Valey Bay Villa.
Ethan was still fuming inside.
He pushed the door open with force.
Darkness filled the house.
He frowned instinctively and called for Auntie Zhang, but no one answered—then he remembered he had given her the day off.
Seeing the pitch-black villa, Ethan couldn't help but feel irritated.
If Auntie Zhang wasn't back, could it be that Autumn hadn't come home either?!
It was already eleven o'clock. What the hell was she doing outside this late?!
Anna also noticed that no one was around.
She tugged gently at Ethan's sleeve, her voice trembling slightly with worry. "Sister Autumn doesn't seem to be back yet. Do you think something happened to her?"
Ethan's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly snapped, his tone harsh: "What could possibly happen? She's an adult now—can't she take care of herself?!"
Anna froze, clearly shocked that Ethan had raised his voice at her.
Ethan realized his emotions had slipped out of control. He steadied himself, his tone softening.
"Sorry, Anna. It's my fault. I shouldn't have lost my temper at you—it's Autumn's fault for making me worry. Don't be scared, okay?"
He reached out and patted Anna's head, his voice filled with apology.
Anna's eyes turned red, but she forced a small smile.
"It's fine, brother. I don't blame you. It's normal to be worried when Sister Autumn isn't home."
"Good girl. Go wash up and get some sleep. You'll have to make do with your room tonight—I'll arrange a south-facing one for you tomorrow."
It was rare that Ethan still remembered Anna's weak constitution and her need for a sunlit room.
Anna nodded softly.
Ethan stroked her hair again and sighed. If only Autumn could be as gentle and considerate as Anna...
He'd completely forgotten that when Autumn was little, she used to be obedient and sweet too.
His gaze drifted toward the dark night outside the window, a faint trace of worry flickering in his chest.
He didn't know when Autumn would come home.
After washing up, Ethan sat on the couch in the living room, waiting for her.
The faint glow from the TV cast a small patch of light that illuminated his tired face.
But he didn't move. He just wanted to stay there, waiting for Autumn. If his sister came home to a dark, empty house, she'd be scared...
Just like when they were little—his father was away, and he had gone out with friends. Little Autumn had fallen asleep for her nap.
When she woke up, the sky was dark, and the entire villa was pitch black.
When he finally came home, he heard her crying her heart out, calling for her brother over and over.
His heart broke. He hugged her tightly and comforted her, and from that day on, he never left her alone again.
No matter where he went, he always brought Autumn along.
His friends teased him, calling him a "sister complex." He didn't care. He was a sister complex—so what?
With that thought, at some point, he drifted off to sleep.
He didn't notice the slender figure standing at the top of the stairs, staring at him, eyes burning with resentment.
She knew it! Ethan still couldn't forget that bitch Autumn James!
All that indifference before—it was just an act!
...
"Brother, brother, wake up! You're going to be late for school."
A soft voice sounded beside his ear.
Ethan opened his eyes groggily, mumbling, "Autumn?"
Anna bit her lip, a flash of venom passing through her eyes before she masked it with concern.
"Brother, it's me—Anna. Come on, wake up and have breakfast."
Ethan frowned, his head throbbing painfully.
"Anna? Oh, right—did Autumn come home?" His voice was unusually hoarse.
He suddenly remembered—he'd been waiting for Autumn last night but had fallen asleep before she came home.
Anna sighed softly and shook her head with a worried look. "No, I didn't see Sister Autumn come back."
"Let's ask around at school later," she added. "Come on, Ethan, go wash up—we need to get going."
Still half-asleep, Ethan followed her instructions without thinking.
By the time he came to his senses, he was already in the car on the way to school.
Thinking about Autumn's night out, his chest filled with anger again. He decided he'd go find her in Class 2A Science later.
Meanwhile, Autumn James, the person on his mind, was already sitting on her classroom desk.
As time passed, more students began to arrive.
During the morning reading session, White Miller stood at the podium.
"Alright, everyone, there's something we need to handle today. As you all know, the school sports festival is coming up. I'll leave these two registration forms with Summer Lin. If you want to sign up for any events, go find her."
"Same rules as always—each event can have a maximum of two participants, and each person can register for up to three events. Got it? If not enough people sign up, I'll start drawing lots."
"Whoever gets picked will have to do it. If you're not happy with the draw, you can switch with someone else, as long as every event has someone participating."
White Miller spoke slowly and clearly, making sure everyone could follow.
As soon as he finished, the classroom erupted in groans.
They liked the sports festival—but only as spectators, not participants.
If they had to compete themselves, they'd rather skip it altogether. After all, the students in Class 2A Science were academic stars, not athletes. Competing against the sports majors? Not a chance.
"Oh, right," White added, "this year there's also a team event—not by grade, but schoolwide. Our class got assigned the twenty-person twenty-one-leg race. It won't conflict with the individual events, so if anyone's interested, sign up quickly."
He handed the three forms to Summer Lin, who took them eagerly, eyes sparkling.
"What are you guys signing up for?" she asked excitedly.
"Long jump and shot put, maybe."
"You?"
"Same as last year—100 meters and 400 meters."
...
The entire morning study session was filled with lively discussion.
White Miller could only shake his head helplessly. No one listened to him anyway, so he just let them be.
"By the way, do you guys know which events the sports students from Class A are joining?"
A few students near Summer Lin chatted among themselves.
When they said "Class A," they meant the Liberal Arts Class A—because there were no sports students in the Science Class A. With their training schedule, it was impossible to keep up with the Science curriculum.
As the question hung in the air, everyone's eyes naturally drifted toward Autumn James.
She had once been in the Liberal Arts Class A and would probably know better than anyone else.
Autumn paused for a moment.
"I'm not too sure. I think they're better at track events—mostly sprints."
She wasn't lying. She really didn't know much.
She'd only been in the Liberal Arts Class for a little over a month, and most of that time had been spent dealing with Liam Carter and Anna Hawthorne.