“Now, you shouldn’t just stay inside, or people will accuse you of being lazy and jealous. Come out and get some fresh air. No matter what others say, just don’t take it to heart. A real man who wants to achieve great things must learn to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, and go through hardships.”

Staying cooped up indoors was indeed boring.

Edward Benson nodded and accepted Grace Benson’s suggestion.

The The Benson Family residence was brightly decorated, filled with a festive atmosphere everywhere— even more lively than during the New Year.

Every face was beaming with smiles. But how much of those smiles were genuine and how much were fake, no one could tell.

Grace Benson didn’t want her younger brother to look like a tag-along, so after keeping him company for a while, she simply let Edward Benson move about on his own and went off to busy herself.

She figured that within the family, especially on a day like today, no one would dare to openly target Edward Benson in front of everyone.

Edward Benson appeared to be wandering aimlessly, strolling and looking around.

In reality, he was observing the internal layout of the family estate. He had a feeling that after the celebration, once the family officially named Henry Benson as the heir, a storm was bound to follow. Tonight, something big would happen.

Familiarizing himself with the terrain would help him escape if chaos broke out.

“Edward Benson, come here for a moment.” At a corner, a figure suddenly appeared— a girl about the same age as Edward Benson.

She was dressed provocatively, clearly not a member of the The Benson Family, but obviously from a powerful family in Qingluo Kingdom.

Edward Benson immediately recognized her. In the memories of the previous Edward Benson, he and this girl were quite close, almost like a couple.

But seeing her cold, unsmiling expression, Edward Benson felt something was off.

Chapter 0009 The Thoughts of the Girl Yvonne Taylor

The girl wore light makeup, and there was a hint of allure in her features that didn’t quite belong to someone her age. Her cherry lips were especially charming, and every frown and smile exuded an indescribable charm.

Though not yet fully grown, she naturally possessed the grace of a born beauty.

The lingering memories of the previous Edward Benson left a deep impression of this girl— a kind of tender affection from first love.

But the current Edward Benson was no longer a naive youth. Judging from the girl’s demeanor, their relationship didn’t seem as sweet and warm as the previous Edward Benson had thought.

“Yvonne Taylor, what is it?” Edward Benson asked calmly.

The girl Yvonne Taylor’s lips twitched slightly, showing a hint of surprise and displeasure. In the past, whenever Edward Benson saw her, he would affectionately call her “Yar,” sounding extremely close and intimate.

But today, he addressed her as “Yvonne Taylor,” using her full name.

This was completely out of character! Yvonne Taylor felt a bit uncomfortable. She liked to control men, to have the initiative in everything.

She didn’t like the feeling of things slipping out of her control.

Still, there were priorities.

On a normal day, Yvonne Taylor would have teased Edward Benson a bit. But today, she had more important matters to attend to.

Yvonne Taylor lifted her palm, tossing up a rather crudely made matching pendant.

“This, I’m giving back to you.”

Edward Benson was taken aback, then remembered that this matching pendant was something he had given to Yvonne Taylor after passing the Yin-Yang Academy’s entrance exam.

Yvonne Taylor had also passed the exam. Finding Edward Benson pleasing to the eye, she used a few tricks to stir his emotions and got him to give her the pendant— a token of affection.

Its meaning was that the two would be of one heart and mind, entering the Yin-Yang Academy together.

This feeling was the only beautiful memory the previous Edward Benson had held onto before his suicide.

But now, it seemed that back then, Edward Benson was just one of many backup options for Yvonne Taylor.

Touching the cold pendant and looking at Yvonne Taylor’s indifferent expression,

Edward Benson had already guessed most of it and asked calmly, “What do you mean?”

Yvonne Taylor seemed unwilling to explain further. She lifted her fair chin and said coolly, “It means nothing. If it doesn’t belong to me, there’s no need to keep it.”

The previous Edward Benson had deep feelings for this girl, but the current Edward Benson was far more perceptive— how could he not see her intention to distance herself?

It made sense. He was now a bastard son with a bleak future, no chance at the Yin-Yang Academy. From Yvonne Taylor’s perspective, she would naturally want to avoid him.

Edward Benson nodded lightly and smiled, “You’re right.”

As he spoke, he squeezed the pendant in his hand, and it instantly crumbled to powder.

“You!”

Yvonne Taylor’s brows shot up.

But she quickly decided it wasn’t worth arguing with Edward Benson over this. The corners of her mouth curled in a faint, mocking smile. “What’s the point of that?”

“Something tainted is useless to keep,” Edward Benson shrugged.

This casual attitude left Yvonne Taylor feeling inexplicably annoyed.

She had returned the pendant to draw a clear line with Edward Benson, and had even prepared herself for him to beg and pester her.

But…

Things didn’t go at all as she had expected.

And her importance in Edward Benson’s heart didn’t seem as high as she had imagined!

This left Yvonne Taylor with a sense of disappointment, like throwing a heavy punch into cotton.