Chapter 17

Hannah's eyes widened in shock as she watched Kane snatch a box from Nancy's hands, then gently pinch her rosy lips while anxiously peering inside her mouth.

What was going on here?

Was Kane dating Nancy Foster?

Had they skipped the gathering because they were out on a date?

The scene replayed in Hannah's mind, and the more she thought about it, the more she struggled to contain her shock.

Meanwhile, their classmates were still joking about Kane, utterly unaware that he had already won the heart of Southgate High's true goddess.

She didn't even know what to say anymore.

"Kane hasn't reached out to you lately, has he?" Hannah turned to Sophie Chase, finally regaining her composure.

"Why would he? Even if he did, I wouldn't bother with him," Sophie replied, her delicate brows furrowed in disdain.

"Do you know what he's been up to lately?"

"I just heard from Hansel Grant. He's probably still selling boxed lunches."

Hannah Warren fell silent. So her best friend knew nothing about Kane Brook at all. "Sophie, are you still waiting for Kane to apologize to you?"

Sophie Chase bit her lip. "Yeah, I've been waiting for so long, but that guy is ridiculously patient. He hasn't even sent me a single message on QQ."

"Do you really think he's just being patient?"

"What else could it be? He used to message me every day. Sometimes, when I was in a bad mood, I'd just call him annoying straight to his face, but he never got tired of it. Now, he's acting all cold and indifferent—if that's not him holding back, then what is?"

Hannah was conflicted, unsure whether she should bring up what she had just seen. "Sophie, let me ask you seriously—do you like Kane?"

Sophie's expression was blank. "I'm so pissed at him I could explode. How could I possibly like him?"

"But from what I see, Kane doesn't have you in his mind anymore… while you can't get him out of yours."

"That's just because he went too far. It's been bothering me like crazy! If he doesn't apologize at least a hundred times, I'll never forgive him!"

Hannah lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear. "Then… if Kane gets together with someone else, would you be upset?"

Sophie let out a cold chuckle. "What does him being with someone else have to do with me? But I guess it makes sense. He couldn't get me, so eventually, he'd give up and settle for second best. Not a bad backup plan."

"…"

"What? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing… Let's just eat."

Hearing that, Sophie picked up her chopsticks and poked at the food on her plate, but she had no appetite at all.

Because she was beyond frustrated.

She just couldn't understand—why didn't that idiot Kane get what she was trying to tell him? No girl in the world would just fall into a guy's hands the moment he started chasing her. It wasn't like she hadn't given him chances—she had even hinted that if he persisted, there'd be hope. Was that still not enough?

She really wanted to see Jiang Qin utterly regret everything and beg for a second chance, yet she never got her wish. Maybe that was why she felt so frustrated.

Before she knew it, the gathering was wrapping up. Because Sophie had been chatting with Hannah the whole time, then switched to her usual "stay away from me" look, Alexander Quinn never found a chance to talk to her. So he suggested they go for a walk nearby, hoping to get closer to her that way.

Hannah was actually pretty nervous. She was seriously afraid Sophie would run into Kane and Nancy Foster.

She knew her best friend's personality all too well—spoiled, proud, and needing the whole world to revolve around her.

If Sophie saw Kane with Nancy, Hannah had no idea what would happen.

Luckily, she was overthinking it. Kane and Nancy never crossed their path. Instead, it was Alexander constantly hovering around them, which annoyed her quite a bit.

Meanwhile, not far from City Center, in a lively food street…

Nancy Foster was holding an oversized fruit jelly, taking a few bites before looking up at Kane. "Do you like looking at boobs?"

"??????"

"You've looked at mine fifteen… no, sixteen times today."

Kane's mouth twitched. Seriously, even though she was naturally airheaded, her bluntness was still a bit too much. "I was just admiring the view."

Nancy pointed to a store across the street. "Kane, what are adult products?"

"That's something only grown-ups should freaking know about!"

"My birthday is February 3rd. According to the law, I'm already an adult."

"You call this being an adult? No, your understanding of the world isn't even on an eight-year-old's level."

Nancy stumbled a little, her face full of despair. "You're really hurtful with your words."

Kane laughed. "No worries, summer break is still long. You'll learn."

…

Time flew by like a fleeting horse.

On June 25th, the results of the college entrance exam were freshly released, sending waves of anticipation through countless families.

Kane Brook's score was exactly the same as in his previous life—653 points. With this, securing a spot in a top-tier university was a sure thing, leaving no suspense at all. While he remained utterly calm inside, he had to put on an excited act in front of his parents—a true test of his acting skills.

But Jonathan Brook and Carmen Yale were genuinely thrilled.

653 points!

This score was 20 points higher than Kane's mock exams!

Carmen immediately rushed to White Cloud Mountain, heading straight to White Cloud Temple to light incense and fulfill her vow.

Jonathan, on the other hand, was so ecstatic he couldn't sit still or stand still. His fists clenched and shook non-stop before he finally grabbed Kane and dragged him downstairs, running three full laps around the neighborhood.

Kane completely understood his parents' emotions. For their generation, the college entrance exam was a stepping stone to success, a major turning point in life, the only opportunity to change one's fate, the golden ticket to wealth and status.

But what they could never have imagined was that, in just a few years, the world would be overflowing with PhDs, and master's degrees would become as common as stray dogs.

Three days after the exam results were released, the demolition issue also started to take shape.

On the morning of June 28th, the neighborhood offices of Prosperity Lane, Chengdu, Happiness Community, and Fortune Community all called Kane one after another. Each call briefly explained the demolition process and invited him to visit the designated demolition task force for discussions.

Although the official demolition notice had not yet been publicly announced, the matter was essentially set in stone.

To save time, all neighborhoods affected by the old town renovation project had already begun preliminary preparations in advance.

This was not something to be widely publicized.