Olivia Scott and Mark Warren, taking advantage of the couple’s inattention, both cast questioning glances at Eric Bennett, even blinking repeatedly. Eric Bennett spread his hands innocently, indicating he had nothing to hide.

　　She scrolled the mouse to the very top page of the WORD document. Olivia Scott focused and began to read carefully: “DEATH-NOTE? Death Diary?”

　　Eric Bennett coughed, reminding her, “I call it Death Note—in fact, the translation is pretty much the same.” As soon as Julia Warren heard this, her face immediately began to darken: “What kind of nonsense is this? Olivia, keep reading and translate each sentence for me as you go.”

　　“Um… alright.”

　　No sooner had she spoken than Olivia Scott regretted it!

　　The densely packed, complicated English words left Olivia Scott stunned for a moment. The next second, she stared blankly at the computer, leaned back against the chair, and drew in a sharp breath!

　　What is all this?

　　Abbreviation? burial? kidnap? likelihood? measurement?

　　Is this… really English?

　　How come I don’t recognize a single word?

　　Julia Warren saw her silent and gave her a nudge: “What does it say?”

　　Olivia Scott turned to look at Eric Bennett, and seeing his wry smile, she immediately understood why he had tried to stop her.

　　He was afraid she’d embarrass herself!

　　Olivia Scott let out a long sigh at the screen, “Sis, it’s not that I don’t want to translate for you, it’s just that I can’t translate about seventy percent of these paragraphs. Sigh, maybe my English is just too poor.” She knew her own abilities well enough—if she took the CET-4 now, she’d probably just barely pass.

　　“Olivia, you’re not covering for him, are you?” Julia Warren was convinced there was something fishy, “How could you not be able to translate something written by a middle schooler? Hmph, is it a love letter for one of his classmates?”

Chapter 13: An Undergraduate’s English Level

　　Eric Bennett slapped his forehead in frustration: “Mom, what are you talking about? I’m just practicing Chinese-to-English translation—how did it turn into a love letter?”

　　Julia Warren pursed her lips, clearly not believing him, then turned her questioning gaze to Olivia Scott: “Olivia, tell me the truth.”

　　“Sis, this time you’re blaming him wrongly.” The considerate Olivia Scott spoke up for Eric Bennett: “Although I can’t translate the whole thing, I do recognize a few scattered words. Hmm, Eric must have read some novel or something and is trying to translate the plot into English. That’s actually a good way to improve his English skills, instead of just sticking to the textbook.”

　　Olivia Scott affirmed this learning method, her slender finger tracing the monitor: “Eric, how do you translate this sentence?”

　　Eric Bennett craned his neck for a look: “Oh, it’s like this: as long as the cause of death is within the victim’s capabilities, any method of death is valid; otherwise, the cause of death is heart failure.”

　　Olivia Scott compared it to the English sentence, then pointed to the next one thoughtfully: “Okay, what about this one?”

　　“First write down the cause and circumstances of death, then writing the name before those words will also be effective. In that case, the effective period until the name is written is about 19 days in human time units.”

　　Olivia Scott asked several in a row, and Eric Bennett answered each one fluently.

　　Actually, anyone who’s taken the CET-4 knows that a lot of questions are just guesswork—if you relied solely on real ability and could explain every question thoroughly, that’d be pretty unrealistic.

　　That’s exactly the kind of guy Eric Bennett was.

　　Those sentences that Olivia Scott couldn’t translate—truth be told, Eric Bennett had written them in a daze, just going by feel, not even sure if the grammar was right. However, having received formal higher education, Eric Bennett’s English was indeed a bit better than the self-taught Olivia Scott, and with the help of an English-Chinese dictionary, it was no wonder Olivia Scott couldn’t understand.

　　Only now did Julia Warren, Evan Bennett, and Mark Warren pick up on what was going on from Olivia Scott’s expression. “Is Little Eric really that good?”

　　“More than just good.” Olivia Scott turned to the three, giving a self-deprecating smile, “If this translation really is Eric’s work, then his English is already on par with a senior undergraduate—at least, he’s way better than me. Heh, and you still want me to tutor him? I think Eric should be tutoring me in his spare time.”

　　A senior undergraduate?

　　Everyone clicked their tongues in amazement. Eric Bennett was still just a recent junior high graduate, yet his English could be compared to a college student’s?

　　Julia Warren beamed with joy, plopping down next to her son and patting his hand as she laughed nonstop: “You really are my good son.” Evan Bennett was amused by his wife, “Just now you were scolding him with bared teeth, and now, in the blink of an eye, he’s your good son again?”

　　Julia Warren’s smile vanished instantly. She turned around and gave her husband’s arm a hard pinch, making everyone burst out laughing.

　　Reading the room.

　　It seems to be one of the essential tricks of adulthood.

　　Eric Bennett looked a little embarrassed at Aunt Rong: “I’ve been learning English on and off for ten years, but you’ve only been at it for less than two. Heh, you’re still amazing, Aunt Rong.”