Chapter 176: The Diary of the Future

"Through conversation, I learned that they are both professors, appearing very cultured. I strived to present myself appropriately, and I succeeded. I became the adopted son of the Bells."

"Two days later, Mrs. Cornan called, saying an owl had delivered a letter for me from Hogwarts School, inviting me to study there. But the Bells refused, wanting me to attend Wharton Prep instead."

"On September 1, 1991, I started attending Wharton Prep, a top-notch school. Yet, upon enrollment, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had missed out on something..."

"On September 6, it was a sunny morning. On my way to school, a dump truck suddenly lost control and headed straight for me."

"I died..."

"Before dying, I shed regretful tears. If I had not chosen to be adopted by the Bells that day, I wouldn't have gone to Wharton Prep, wouldn't have taken that road, and wouldn't have been killed by the dump truck..."

"If only time could be given another chance, how wonderful that would be..."

Lucas frowned at the diary in front of him and glanced at the clock on the wall, August 26, 1991.

Suddenly, a knock on the door sounded.

"Lucas, are you up? Hurry and get ready; a couple wants to adopt you..."

Lucas stared at the diary in astonishment.

What's going on? "Lucas?" Mrs. Cornan's voice came again.

"Coming, coming!" Lucas hid his confusion, changed his clothes, closed the diary, and hid it in the drawer.

He went out the door, following Mrs. Cornan downstairs, where indeed a middle-aged couple was waiting in the living room.

"Hello, Lucas," the woman with golden curls greeted him, "I'm Mary Bell, and this is my husband, Donald Bell."

"Hello." The man also waved.

Bell.

Just like the diary said.

He sat silently opposite the Bells, pondering over the diary.

What kind of diary is this? Can it predict the future?

How did I come to possess it?

And then, who am I?

A name came to mind.

Lucas Tom Brightson...

That's my name.

Yet, for some reason, "Lucas" felt foreign, while "Tom," the middle name, felt more intimate.

Seeing Lucas silent, the Bells felt a bit awkward, but they could understand, considering he grew up in an orphanage, "Lucas, would you like to talk? What do you usually like to do?"

Lucas looked up at the woman who claimed to be Mary, "Tom, please call me Tom."

Mary was obviously puzzled but smiled anyway, "Okay, Tom, do you have any hobbies?"

Tom looked at them directly and asked, "Are you professors?"

"Oh!" Mary seemed surprised, glancing at her husband, "We haven't revealed our professions, have we?"

Professors...

Indeed, the diary seems to be telling the truth.

"Do you want me to attend Wharton Prep?" Tom asked again.

Donald Bell looked puzzled at Mrs. Cornan, "Headmistress, did you tell the child anything?"

"No, sir. This is the first time he's hearing about you; I don't know why..." Mrs. Cornan was a bit flustered, "But Lucas has always been very smart, his academic performance is very good. Lucas, do you want to attend Wharton Prep?"

Tom shook his head.

The Bells were silent for a moment, but finally, Mary said, "Lu... Tom, if you want to go to Wharton, we can help you. Donald is an alumnus of Wharton Prep, and we have a few friends who could assist. Wharton is a very good school; we indeed planned for our own child to study there."

The diary's words were verified again.

But, this doesn't prove everything the diary says is true.

The technique of nine truths and one lie, he had long mastered.

Long ago?

When exactly? Do I often lie?

He tried to recall something but came up empty.

And even if the diary's words are true, can't he just not go to school on September 6? Avoiding death doesn't necessarily mean refusing the Bells, right?

"Tom," Mary spoke again, "We've looked at your file, and we believe you're the child we want to adopt. You're very smart, and Donald and I have some connections in the academic field. We will help you develop your potential to become the best version of yourself."

"We would really like to adopt you, so we want to hear your opinion. Would you like to come home with us?"

Tom lifted his head, his gaze sweeping across Mary and Donald's faces.

Home...

A pair of well-educated intellectuals, the family conditions seem quite good, and they genuinely seem to like him.

For an orphan, this seems like a very good choice...

But...

"I'm sorry." Tom lowered his head.

For some reason, the line from the diary surfaced in his mind.

"...an owl delivered a letter for me, from Hogwarts School, inviting me to study there..."

Hogwarts...

Strangely, that name stirred his soul.

It seemed that was where he truly belonged.

The Bells left disappointed, and Mrs. Cornan was full of regret but still escorted them out, "Lucas is not usually like this..."

Once they parted with Mrs. Cornan and the Bells drove away from the Reed Children's Home, driving more than ten kilometers, suddenly Donald's face twitched, his whole body's bones crackling, and in a moment, he transformed into Radovan Perry, while Mary reverted to a female mercenary.

"Phew, that had me nervous. If the kid asked me where I teach, I wouldn't have been able to answer..." Radovan looked relieved.

"Why would the boss make us go through so much trouble just to deceive a child?" the female mercenary asked.

"Who knows! Better not to ask too much about the boss's business."

...

Back in his room, Tom locked the door, took the diary out of the drawer, carefully placed it on the table, then took a pen and wrote: "Who are you?"

But the words he wrote soon disappeared, and at the same time, the text that had previously appeared gradually vanished, replaced by new content.

"My name is Lucas Tom Brightson. On August 26, 1991, I woke up in the orphanage as usual. There's nothing different today, except my head is a bit dizzy, as if I've forgotten many things."

"In the morning, Mrs. Cornan, the head of the orphanage, told me a couple wants to adopt me."

"Although their conditions were good, due to an inexplicable impulse, I refused them."

"A few days later, an owl delivered a letter."

"It was an acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

"Magic! I'm going to learn magic!"

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