Ethan Brooks immediately recognized that these words were just bluster—this was exactly William Reed's style: pretentious, posturing, a master of official jargon and empty talk. Plus, with relatives in the university administration, it was all in the family. The ambition in those beady little eyes practically leapt off the screen.

Sure enough, once he felt he had this student pretty much under control, William Reed paused, then slowly continued, “I met your parents at the start of the semester. They’re in business, right… Think about it, your parents work so hard out there, sending you to our university—what for? Isn’t it so you can make something of yourself? And what have you done? Is this how you repay them…”

“That’s enough.” Ethan Brooks looked up and interrupted, “Mr. Reed, how I repay my parents is none of your concern. Let’s get to the point.”

Behind his glasses, William Reed’s eyes widened, then quickly squinted into slits as he dragged out his words, “Ethan Brooks, your attitude is a problem… As your counselor, I’m only reminding you out of responsibility. What you did has had an extremely negative impact. The school is already discussing how to deal with you to eliminate this influence.

Oh, you really think it’s just a notice? Just a retake? You might not even get the chance to retake the course. This isn’t just about a record on your file—it’s about whether the school will consider expelling you! I’m someone who gets information from the administration, and you’re my student. That’s why I’m thinking of giving you a hand. Otherwise, do you think I bother with just anyone?”

If nothing unexpected happened, under this kind of intimidation from William Reed—especially when faced with the word “expulsion”—most students would completely lose their composure.

And he’d left a way out at the end, essentially offering Ethan Brooks a lifeline. Through his business-owning parents, Ethan Brooks would take the initiative to connect with him, the counselor, and he could then put on a show of “helping out” to smooth things over.

After all, it was just a matter of social niceties—in plain terms, a matter of money.

Of course, in reality, Ethan Brooks’s situation wasn’t that serious—expulsion was out of the question. But a demerit, maybe even a record on his file, was indeed under discussion. By bringing up expulsion first, no matter what the outcome, it would look like he’d helped.

Besides, Ethan Brooks was from his class. A school-wide notice about this incident was a slap in his own face. If he didn’t find a way to save face, he’d be unhappy.

Ethan Brooks said, “Mr. Reed, my dad’s business lost a lot recently. Now our family owes a ton of money, and debt collectors come to our door every day. I don’t even dare go home, afraid they’ll have to cough up money to help me out. I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.

And I’ve been publicly shamed by the whole school, plus I just got dumped. I actually jumped into the river today, but didn’t die. I just managed to pull myself together, decided I don’t want to die, and now you’re telling me I might get expelled. I’m afraid I really might have to jump into the river today.”

At the first half, William Reed’s eyelids twitched, feeling slapped in the face and about to lose his temper. But when Ethan Brooks casually mentioned “didn’t die,” his heart skipped a beat.

What the hell!?

If a student under his watch actually jumped into a river over this, he could already imagine the social fallout. The newspapers and media were desperate for news—his own career as a counselor would be over. Even having relatives in the school’s upper management wouldn’t help.

He felt a little panicked, even trembling, but still forced a sinister look, “Ethan Brooks, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to challenge me? Who are you trying to scare? You think saying that will actually frighten someone?”

But Ethan Brooks just wore that impenetrably calm expression, speaking with a particularly sincere tone, “Mr. Reed, I’m really not lying to you. If you don’t believe me, check my Moments, or ask my classmates right now if I jumped into the river.”

Damn, he’s so calm it’s making me nervous! William Reed stared at him for a while, then pulled his phone from his pocket, snapped it open, and quickly scrolled into the karaoke group where the prettiest girl in the class was. The notifications were muted, but he opened it to see over a hundred messages discussing the incident.

As he read, he kept glancing up at Ethan Brooks.

Thud! He slammed the phone down.

William Reed put on a kindly face, the shift from sinister to benevolent so abrupt that his facial muscles spasmed, “Well, Ethan Brooks… Mr. Brooks, let’s not jump into the river today, okay?”

Ethan Brooks nodded, “Yeah, the water’s cold at night. I’ll jump tomorrow.”

William Reed’s chair scraped back as he stood up, hurried over, and awkwardly offered the leather sofa next to him, “Come, come, sit down, let’s talk. Don’t jump tomorrow either.” His tone had completely changed by the end.

“Then I won’t jump into the river.” Ethan Brooks said, his gaze flickering almost imperceptibly toward the windowsill.

William Reed’s pants stretched wide as he leapt to the window, half his body reaching out to shut and lock it tight, then pulled down the blinds before turning back, blocking the way. He looked back at Ethan Brooks, who was now sitting comfortably on the sofa.

“What I mean is, you’ve got a long life ahead of you. This is just a temporary setback—everyone makes mistakes, who hasn’t? Just now, I made a mistake too. The way I spoke to you was wrong; I didn’t consider your feelings.”