Chapter 90 From Today On, Severing Sibling Ties
When Lily saw the reporters interviewing Michael, a cunning glint flashed in her eyes.
Facing the reporters' questions, Michael was completely caught off guard and froze.
Because he couldn't understand a single word of what the reporters were saying.
What did they mean by asking what experience they had to share about Lily's grade improvement?
Lily had moved out long before the exams and rarely came home.
And Lily's dramatic grade improvement had nothing to do with the family at all.
In fact, back then, Austin had insisted that Lily skip school to train with the gaming team for competitions. Sophie's grades had dropped significantly because of this very reason.
Overall, the Roberts family had made absolutely no contribution to Lily getting first place.
They had even seriously held her back.
If Lily hadn't insisted on moving out and refused to participate in the team's competition training, the chances of her getting first place today would have been next to nothing.
After these thoughts ran through Michael's mind, he instinctively looked at Lily.
He understood now—Lily had said this on purpose.
Lily was deliberately mocking everyone in the Roberts family.
Lily knew that no one in the Roberts family had the dignity to claim this honor.
It had to be said, Lily's slap really hit him hard in the face, making him deeply ashamed. He truly hadn't been a good brother.
Michael's expression became somewhat awkward.
He said in a hoarse voice, "Actually, we didn't do much. The main thing is that my sister is smart, hardworking, and dedicated."
The reporter seemed slightly disappointed by this answer.
Alex knew some of the inside story and guessed that Lily had said that deliberately to mock her family.
Richard walked over and said to Michael, "Congratulations, Mr. Roberts, you have a first-place winner in your family."
At this moment, Michael couldn't even force a smile. He just felt ashamed.
Lily had achieved first place, and he had done nothing.
So when he heard these people congratulating him, the words stuck in his throat.
He didn't dare look at Lily anymore, especially after what he had just said.
Alex quickly smoothed things over: "Well, don't just stand there, everyone. Let's head to the restaurant."
Lily hung back and said to Michael, "You should just leave."
"Lily!"
Michael looked at Lily's back with mixed feelings, but he didn't dare speak the way he had before.
When Lily got in the car, she saw Michael's figure standing by the roadside. She thought Richard's congratulations earlier had been quite interesting.
Soon, everyone arrived at a restaurant near the school.
Michael drove over, too. He had no choice but to come.
But as he got out of the car, he received a call from Austin: "Michael, what's going on? Sophie is already at the hospital. Why haven't you brought Lily over yet?"
Michael took a deep breath and said, "We'll probably come after lunch."
"What lunch is more important than the Murphy Family matter right now? Ethan did terribly on his exams, and his mother has called several times. Ethan keeps rejecting her video calls; otherwise, if Ethan's mother sees him in the hospital, everything will be ruined."
Michael's voice trembled: "This is Lily's celebration dinner. I can't leave."
Even though he hadn't contributed to Lily's good grades.
But as her brother, he had to be present at today's celebration.
"What celebration dinner? Did Lily get first place in the whole city or something? A celebration dinner!
Lily probably didn't do that well. Hurry back and deal with the Murphy Family matter. That's more urgent. I've been here since last night until now, trying to build a good relationship with Mr. Murphy. Do you think it's easy for me?"
"Lily IS first place in the city."
"What?"
Austin almost lost his balance when he heard this news: "You're saying Lily is first in the whole city? How is that possible? Didn't they say she didn't do well on the first exam because of the stationery problem?"
Even if Lily hadn't been held back by the first exam, her grades shouldn't be good enough for first place in the city, right?
"That's what I thought too, but the school just put up a banner, and reporters came to interview the first-place student. It really is Lily, no mistake. I'm already at the restaurant with them now."
Austin, on the other end of the phone, was speechless for a long time.
He never would have imagined that Lily had actually gotten first place in the city.
After a long while, Austin finally said, "Well... well, if she got first place in the city, we should celebrate."
Lily, who had never been particularly outstanding, had suddenly gotten first place in the city.
Austin hadn't adjusted to this gap yet.
"Right, that's what I think too. I definitely need to be there for this kind of occasion. I'll bring her over after we finish eating here. As for Ethan, you keep an eye on him."
"Okay, no problem. Since Lily did so well this time, should we also throw her a party?"
Ever since losing the competition, Austin had actually been reflecting a lot these past few days.
He felt he had been a bit too harsh on Lily before, so he wanted to improve their sibling relationship.
Michael said with relief, "Look at me, of course, we should throw Lily a grand celebration party. She got first place in the whole city. David will be so happy when he finds out."
After hanging up, Michael walked into the restaurant feeling excited.
Lily sat in the center, the focus of everyone's attention.
When Michael appeared, someone stood up: "Lily's brother is here, make room for him."
Michael sat down next to Lily, feeling somewhat strange.
Wherever he went before, he was respected as a CEO. He never thought there'd be a day when he'd benefit from Lily's glory.
He was also infected by the atmosphere and became excited.
He poured himself a drink and said to Alex and Richard, "Let me toast you both. Thanks to your care for Lily, she was able to do so well."
"Not at all, it's all Lily's own hard work. We didn't do that much."
Lily saw Michael drinking glass after glass and couldn't help but pull his hand, saying in a low voice, "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
"Lily, Michael is fine. I'm happy today. It's only right that I toast on your behalf."
The words stuck in Michael's throat. He had to do something for Lily, or he would go crazy.
Michael made a complete round, toasting everyone.
Lily felt somewhat uncomfortable.
She didn't need Michael's so-called compensation now, because she wouldn't look back.
She looked down at her phone and received a message from Dennis: [Remember not to drink at dinner.]
[I know.]
[Contact me anytime if anything comes up.]
Seeing his words, Lily felt much more at ease, but she instinctively didn't mention that Michael was also here.
The meal soon ended.
Michael was somewhat drunk.
After saying goodbye to Alex and Richard, Lily helped him to the car.
The driver had been waiting outside and came over to help Michael into the car.
Lily let go and was about to leave, but Michael grabbed her hand: "Lily, come to the hospital with me?"
"Have the driver take you!"
Lily pulled her hand away directly. She didn't want to have some sibling bonding.
They looked down on her before, and now that she's in first place, they want to mend the relationship? Impossible.
Michael clutched his stomach uncomfortably and said, "What are you planning to do about Ethan's situation?"
Lily's steps paused: "None of your business."
"I've already arranged for that school nurse to go to the hospital."
Lily's expression changed completely. She turned back to look at Michael: "What gives you the right to do that?"
"Because you're my sister, I have to protect you!"
Lily's face showed mockery: "Then from today on, we're cutting off our sibling relationship. You don't need to interfere in my affairs anymore!"