Chapter 10 Everyone Thinks She Can't Do Well
Lily stopped, her voice polite but distant, "Hello, Michael, Peter, Austin."
If she didn't greet them, they'd probably accuse her of being rude and sulking again.
She didn't have the energy to argue with them; it was a waste of time.
Austin raised an eyebrow and looked over. "How'd the exam go today? You ditched the team to study, so let's see if it paid off!"
Lily wasn't bothered by Austin's jab. No matter what she did, her brothers never appreciated it.
She pressed her lips together. "I'll do my best."
Do her best to improve her grades, do her best to get into Quest University, and get away from them.
Peter scoffed, "Lily's never been a good student. She didn't do well in her freshman or sophomore year either. Now, just before graduation, she's trying to cram. It only looks like she's working hard. Her final ranking will still be behind Sophie!"
Sophie chimed in with a smile, "Peter, don't say that. Lily's been working really hard lately. Even the teachers have praised her. Rankings don't mean everything."
Lily clenched her backpack tightly, anger surging through her chest.
In her previous life, her poor grades had a reason.
Every time she scored better than Sophie, Sophie would give her trouble, causing their brothers to dislike her.
To avoid being hated by her brothers, Lily deliberately wrote her exams carelessly.
So her grades were always worse than Sophie's, just to avoid conflict.
That didn't mean she was actually bad at school!
During her last SAT, she wanted to outscore Sophie and prove she was better.
But in the end, David forced her to apply to the same lower-ranked school as Sophie.
Even though her scores could have gotten her into a better school!
Thinking about this, Lily struggled to control her emotions. "I'm going to my room."
Her gaze was icy cold, but this time, she wouldn't be foolish.
The next day, Saturday, Lily woke up naturally.
When she went downstairs to eat, the hall was empty.
They must have gone to the training camp.
Lily didn't mind. She ate her breakfast and went back to her room.
She checked her phone for news about the game competition.
Sure enough, the officials had announced the revival match.
Just like last time.
Back then, Austin had put all his effort into winning the revival match.
Only by winning could they advance and get revenge on the Gonzalez family team in the finals!
But last time, Titan Team won the championship by luck.
The Gonzalez family team's key player withdrew at the last critical moment, giving them the chance to win.
As for why the player withdrew, Lily never found out until the day she died.
Some said it was a sudden illness, others said he was forced to go home and take over the family business, but he never clarified.
Lily looked at the game introduction and felt a sudden itch to play.
But then Dennis's voice popped into her head.
She had promised him that her exam results would decide whether she played or not.
Alright, she would wait. At least until the results were out.
She took out her phone, thought it over, and sent Dennis a message: [Dr. Gonzalez, I didn't go to the nurse's office after school last week because Michael noticed I wasn't home on time. I was worried he'd find my secret base, so I didn't come.]
After sending the message, Lily stared at the chat box for a long time, but there was no reply.
She couldn't help but check Dennis's feed, but it was empty.
Did he never post anything?
Weird.
On the other side, Dennis glanced at the message, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Dennis, who's messaging you?"
Dennis quickly locked his screen.
Eric raised an eyebrow. "Judging by the avatar, it's a girl. Could it be the girl you helped the other day, Lily, right?"
"You're talking too much."
"I think you're feeling guilty. You were working late at the nurse's office last week, then suddenly stopped going. You've been in a bad mood these days. Did you fight with her?"
Dennis turned his head, his gaze dangerous. "Don't pry into my business."
"We grew up together. What don't I know about you? Stop pretending!"
Dennis took his phone to the balcony, looking down at the chat box.
To her, the nurse's office was a secret base?
He couldn't help but smile, then checked her feed.
It was mostly daily life posts, very girly.
After a while, he realized he had spent too much time on her profile. This feeling was getting out of control.
Dennis exited the chat app and returned to the living room.
Lily waited all day but didn't get a reply.
Was he angry?
She didn't dare send another message to disturb him. She decided to wait until Monday when the results came out.
Lily spent the whole weekend studying at home.
Sophie and her brothers didn't come back; they stayed at the training camp.
Monday morning.
Lily went downstairs and finally saw Sophie and her brothers.
They were chatting and laughing, clearly getting along better.
Lily said nothing and went straight to the dining room for breakfast.
Austin's tone was mocking, "The results come out today, right?"
Lily nodded. "Yeah."
"I've told you to join the team. With your grades, you won't get into a good school. Instead of wasting time studying, you should train to become a pro gamer. With the resources our Roberts family can provide, fame is just a matter of time. Too bad you didn't take the chance. Now it's Sophie's."
Lily thought of the humiliation of being replaced in her past life.
She replied calmly, "I don't mind."
Lily grabbed her breakfast and left the hall.
Austin was furious at her indifference. "I can't wait to see her results, hmph!"
Sophie was relieved that Lily didn't agree to join the team.
She knew Lily had a gaming talent, and if Lily joined, she wouldn't have a spot.
But she still smiled and said, "Austin, don't be mad. Lily's just throwing a tantrum. If she agrees to join the team, I'll give her my spot immediately."
Austin nodded appreciatively. "You're the most sensible one!"
Sophie's smile froze slightly, feeling very resentful. She had been practicing hard to gain Austin's approval.
Unfortunately, Austin still seemed to think Lily was better.
Sophie made up her mind to achieve success in gaming and make Austin give up on Lily joining the team.
Austin was worried, though. The revival match was crucial. If they lost, they'd have no chance.
Although Sophie was working hard, her gaming talent was lacking.
With only a month left until the revival match, her skills were far from sufficient.
To beat the Gonzalez family team, they needed someone with real talent!
Right now, Lily was the only candidate.
But he couldn't bring himself to ask her.
For years, Lily had been tiptoeing around him, trying to please him.
He was used to their sibling dynamic and couldn't change it easily.
How long would Lily keep throwing tantrums?
Did she really want to force him to swallow his pride?