Emily Stewart knew the situation at home. Her dad wasn’t very reliable, always away on an ocean liner, sometimes gone for a year or two without coming back. The fact that she was able to steadily study all the way to her senior year of high school was all thanks to her grandpa and brother. After her grandpa passed away a few years ago, Emily Stewart had been relying on her brother ever since. She still knew a bit about her family’s financial situation.

“You don’t need to worry about the tuition. I’ve already prepared a hundred thousand yuan for you.”

Nancy Stewart pulled his sister aside, took the chicken out of the pot and put it on a plate, then ladled a bowl of chicken soup for her and said, “My business is doing alright now. Saving seventy or eighty thousand a year isn’t a problem. Plus, there’s our dad—he earns US dollars. I figure Dad must have at least a million or two on hand. He just doesn’t give it to us because he’s afraid we’ll spend it recklessly.”

Although their dad never talked about his income, with information so accessible these days, Nancy Stewart just checked online with his phone and found out that a chief mate on an ocean liner could make two or three hundred thousand a year. Their dad had been a captain for several years, so even a million in assets was probably an understatement.

“Well, I’ll just enroll for now. If Dad really doesn’t have any money, then I’ll just quit.” Emily Stewart was a bit reluctant to give up this opportunity. She helped Nancy Stewart carry the dishes to the table and said, “I’m the only one in our school who got in. The homeroom teacher said the school might even give out a bonus, but I don’t know how much.”

“You’re the only one in your school who got in? That can’t be right. What did you guys even take? Your grades weren’t even that outstanding in your class.” Nancy Stewart was stunned. Last time, he was just happy and didn’t ask for details.

“We took Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry, and politics. I heard they even included stuff from the first and second years. Pretty impressive, right? Only I got accepted.” Emily Stewart had always been carefree and never dwelled on things she couldn’t figure out, so she lived every day happily.

“That doesn’t sound right, Xiaoxiao. Tell me, what else did you take?” Nancy Stewart was different from his sister. He’d spent two years in the antique market, a place full of all sorts of people, and he understood one thing: the odds of something truly random happening were extremely low.

Just like those old gentlemen who wandered the antique market every day, all hoping to find a hidden treasure. But after two years of doing business there, Nancy Stewart had never actually seen anyone strike it rich. Most of the so-called “legends” were just stories spread by the stall owners themselves to stoke the old men’s enthusiasm for treasure hunting.

Chapter 5: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road

“We didn’t take anything special. It was pretty much the same as usual.”

Emily Stewart thought for a moment and said, “But our school did organize a physical exam before the test. Normally, they just measure height and weight, but this time they even drew blood. Bro, you should’ve seen it—several boys in our class fainted at the sight of blood. Usually, they act all tough, but when it came to the blood draw, they were screaming like crazy. It was hilarious.”

“A physical exam, and they even drew blood?” Nancy Stewart was surprised, but didn’t think much of it. High schools did organize physicals regularly, and it didn’t seem to have anything to do with admissions. Still, Nancy Stewart couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about his sister’s special admission. Out of the whole school, why was she the only one accepted?

“Forget it, let’s just get the tuition ready for now. When I take her to Yanjing, I’ll check out the school myself.” Nancy Stewart shook his head, carried out the shredded chicken, and looked at his sister, who was staring at him eagerly. He smiled and said, “Hurry up and eat, it’s all yours.”

Nancy Stewart had missed the college entrance exam due to illness and had never experienced any special admissions, so he didn’t know much about these things. There were over a thousand students in his sister’s graduating class, so she really was one in a thousand. Since it was confirmed to be real, the best thing was to just go for it. As for the tuition, Nancy Stewart had already made up his mind: if he couldn’t figure something out in the next few days, he’d borrow thirty thousand from Mr. Carter to tide them over.

“Bro, you eat too.” Emily Stewart picked up a piece of chicken and held it to her brother’s mouth.

“I’ll get it myself, you eat yours.” Nancy Stewart didn’t open his mouth, but picked up a piece himself and said, “The pandemic seems to be getting worse lately. You need to pay attention to hygiene at school, and when you eat with classmates, make sure to use serving chopsticks. Don’t act all crazy and forget you’re a girl.”

Since the beginning of last year, a pandemic had swept across the world. At its worst, the antique market had been shut down for several months. Even after reopening, business was still affected, and the number of people visiting the market each day had dropped to about a third of what it used to be. Nancy Stewart’s business had suffered as well.

The weather had also become unpredictable. It was only mid-May, but it already felt like summer. At noon, temperatures reached thirty-six or thirty-seven degrees, but at night, they would suddenly drop to around ten. Just like today—the sun was blazing during the day, but by evening, the sky was overcast, the clouds hung low, and it looked like a heavy rain was about to fall.

By the time the siblings finished dinner, the rain had finally started, and it came down suddenly and hard. The bean-sized raindrops hit the glass with a loud pattering sound. After Emily Stewart finished cleaning up the dishes, she sliced up a plate of watermelon, looked worriedly at the heavy rain outside, and said, “I wanted to go to the supermarket, but how am I supposed to go in this downpour?”