"What's wrong?"

"I forgot..."

"Oh."

Lily Carter withdrew her gaze. She had just finished sewing, and with a gentle tug on the thread, the previously split seam closed up perfectly, leaving no trace at all. After tidying up the loose end, she folded the jacket neatly on her lap and asked him lightly,

"Does the sun feel nice today?"

"It's alright..."

Grace Brooks scratched his head and sat down on the stone bench beside her. "Did you wash your hands after the injection? Don't get anything on my clothes."

Naturally, he got no response.

In the afternoon, the weather turned gloomy again.

"You should go back now."

"I haven't had dinner yet."

"I need to bury some slow-release fertilizer for the flowers before it rains. I don't have time to keep you company," Lily Carter said. "Go home and prepare for the big exam."

"No way."

Grace Brooks propped his chin with one hand and held a flower in the other, occasionally sniffing it. "I'm feeling pretty unsettled right now. If this keeps up, it might affect my performance in the upcoming exam. Unlike you, I wasn't admitted early. So I need to hang out at your place a bit longer to relax."

"......"

Lily Carter looked at him, her eyes shifting, but she said nothing.

"You go bury your fertilizer, I'll go play with Sophie."

Grace Brooks patted his butt and headed inside.

Sophie was watching a documentary on the sofa. The little girl was much shorter than her sister, only about 1.6 meters tall, wearing loose home shorts and an equally loose striped shirt. Her hair barely reached her shoulders, giving her a somewhat androgynous look. Her two snow-white, delicate legs were crossed, and she hugged a bag of chips in her arms.

"Brother-in-law, want some chips?"

The little girl generously offered the chips to Grace Brooks.

"No thanks."

"Oh, brother-in-law, are you about to take the big exam?"

"Just a few days left."

"Good luck!"

"If I pass, will you treat me to a meal?" Grace Brooks didn't feel embarrassed at all. "Let me use some of your pocket money."

"Sure."

"Hey, how old are you again?"

"Fifteen."

"Oh..."

Grace Brooks nodded. He remembered that Sophie had skipped a grade, just like her sister. She was a great student and had strong cultivation talent too.

"Brother-in-law, do you want to watch something?"

"I'm good. I'll read a book. Otherwise, your sister will nag me again—she's got a lot to say."

"True."

The little girl agreed wholeheartedly, tilting her head back to watch Grace Brooks as he walked upstairs, still munching on chips.

Grace Brooks walked straight into Lily Carter's room without the slightest hesitation. He saw a stack of books on the desk, picked them up and looked through them, and finally chose one from the middle called "Tricky Questions from Past Years' Spell Theory Competitions (with Answers)".

Perfect for some practice.

Back downstairs, Grace Brooks chatted idly with Sophie: "When are your parents coming back?"

"No idea."

"Don't you have homework?"

"I'll do it tonight."

"Oh..."

Grace Brooks lowered his head and started reading.

These questions were really tricky. They weren't mainstream, and some even lacked practical value, but it was good to give his brain a change of pace.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

Burying slow-release fertilizer for the flowers was a hassle, especially with a whole yard full of them. By the time Lily Carter finished everything and washed her hands, she walked into the living room to find Grace Brooks reading with great interest. Lily Carter glanced at the book in his hands without any expression and simply said,

"It's going to rain. Head back soon, or you'll get caught in it."

"Really?"

Grace Brooks looked outside. Sure enough, dark clouds had already started to gather. The weather by the lake was truly unpredictable.

So he closed the book and stood up. "I'm going to take this book home to read."

"I'm not done with it yet."

Lily Carter refused and added, "Your big exam is coming up, and the content in here is way beyond the syllabus. It basically won't be on the test. Don't waste your time on it."

"That's true."

Grace Brooks thought she made sense and put the book down. "Then I'll come get it after the exam. You finish it quickly."

"Take my bike."

"Alright." Grace Brooks had already taken two steps, then suddenly stopped. "Oh right, remember to go to school tomorrow. They're taking graduation photos."

"Okay."

He got on Lily Carter's mini scooter, which was so small it was almost like riding a dog. He pressed the power button, activated the spiritual power recognition—truly keyless start—the scooter's dashboard lit up, and with a twist of the right hand, he shot off.

It was very windy outside, making the ride feel great.

As soon as he entered the neighborhood and parked the bike, a raindrop splashed down, leaving a petal-shaped wet spot on the dry ground. Grace Brooks hurried to lock the bike, and before he knew it, the rain had become a downpour, drumming on the ground with a loud patter, filling the world with the noise of rain.

......

The rain poured down.

Sophie pretended to watch the documentary, pretended to eat chips, but in fact her eyes were secretly fixed on her sister, watching as her sister picked up the book her brother-in-law had been reading and turned to leave—though her sister's expression was no different from usual, she just felt something was off.

She'd have to turn her head to see what happened next.