Chapter 158

Mason was utterly exasperated.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Who is really causing whom grief here? You've never treated anyone nicely from the start. You act like the world owes you millions. The slightest thing goes wrong, and you lose your mind. Who could possibly cause you grief? Who would dare?"

Logan responded, "So you're here to take me back just to suffer again?"

Mason slammed the table and said, "I'm your father, and I'm here to take you home for the holidays!"

Logan replied, "Oh, taking me home for the holidays, is it? Fine. Have Lucas give up his room for me. And if I'm not mistaken, you bought him a new ping-pong table. Take it apart and throw it out. Promise me that, and I'll go back with you."

Mason's brows furrowed deeply.

He stared at Logan for a moment and said, "You refuse to live peacefully, don't you? After all these years, you still can't accept your stepmother and half-brother, can you?!"

What a way to turn things around.

Who couldn't accept whom?

There were plenty of rooms at home, yet after Logan left, they dismantled his bed, wardrobe, and desk, threw away all his belongings, and turned his room into a ping-pong room for Lucas.

And now they expect him to go back to just any room they fix up?

What a joke.

Logan couldn't be bothered to argue any further.

He stood up from the couch, his face cold, and said, "If you can't do it, don't bother me."

With that, he turned and walked towards the office door.

Mason, of course, couldn't do it.

How could he bear to let his precious son be so wronged?

The boy was always pampered and coddled.

So he watched Logan leave the office, muttering to himself in anger, "Ungrateful!"

***

Summer rode her bike, ringing the bell as she approached the alley.

The sky was already dark, and worried she might not see anyone clearly in the alley, she got off and pushed her bike in.

It was a cold evening, and there were few people in the alley. She walked at a leisurely pace.

But as she approached the gate of house number two, someone on a bike suddenly crashed into her from behind.

Thankfully, she reacted quickly and let go of her bike, avoiding personal injury though her bike fell.

Her heart pounded with fear.

Looking back, she saw it was Adam, returning home from work on his bike.

His bike didn't fall over. He quickly got off, parked it, and helped Summer pick up her bike, anxiously asking, "Are you okay, Summer?"

Summer shook her head, inspecting her bike.

Then she reassured Adam, "The bike's fine too."

Adam sighed in relief, "It's really dark tonight. I didn't see you."

In truth, he was preoccupied. Once he entered the alley, his mind wandered.

Fortunately, nothing serious happened. The two of them chatted and walked home together, pushing their bikes.

When they reached the gate of house number five, they ran into a neighbor coming out.

The neighbor greeted Summer with a smile, "Back from college, I see."

Then turned to Adam, "Still no acceptance letter for Calvin yet?"

Adam's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

He forced a smile, "Not yet... not yet."

Hearing this, the neighbor said, "It's probably still on its way."

Adam exchanged a few more words with him before continuing home with Summer.

After parking their bikes in the yard, they each went to their own homes.

***

Ada had been home all day since she was on winter break and didn't have to work. When Adam lifted the curtain and walked in, dinner was ready, and she called out for Calvin and Becky to come and eat.

The steaming hot food was on the table.

The family of four gradually sat down and began eating.

After a few bites, Ada remembered what she had discussed with Adam the previous day. She looked at him and asked, "So, did you find out? Did Calvin get into Harvard or Stanford?"

Adam's face showed he had lost his appetite.

He glanced at Calvin, then at Ada, and took a deep breath, "Let's talk after dinner."

Ada couldn't wait, "Why not now?"

Adam sighed again, unable to speak, but Becky said, "Sounds like he didn't get into either."

Ada instantly frowned.

She looked at Becky, displeased, "Don't talk nonsense! If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"

Becky pursed her lips and said nothing more.

Adam remained silent for a while before saying, "Becky is right."

Ada was not just frowning; she was stunned.

So was Calvin, who had always been confident in himself.

After a few seconds, Ada slammed her chopsticks down, "How is that possible?!"

Adam, now irritated, said, "The district posted the acceptance list, and Calvin's name wasn't on it!"

Ada stared at Adam, feeling like her head was about to explode.

After a moment, she insisted, "There must be a mistake!"

At this point, Becky quietly said, "Harvard, Stanford, and MIT are all top schools. It's normal not to get in. You should've had a safety school for him."

Ada's temper flared, "What do you know? Your brother is exactly at the level for those schools! Even Summer next door got into MIT, so how could Calvin not get into any?"

Twice scolded, Becky also lost her temper, "That's what you think! For the past ten years, the schools haven't been competing on grades, so what makes you think Calvin would get in?"

Ada shouted, "I'm a teacher. Do you think I don't know how things are? I know that most students haven't been encouraged to study, and many test-takers are older and haven't touched books in years, with limited time to review. But your brother has kept up with his studies and reviewed for a month in advance. How could he not get in?!"

Becky retorted, "Because he's just an average student! He doesn't love studying as much as you think, and he wasn't as diligent as you believed! He only worked hard to get your praise. When he got good scores on easy tests, he'd show them to you, and you believed he was a genius. You kept telling him he was a genius, and he believed it! Now the truth is out!"

Ada was trembling with rage.

She lost control, slamming the table and screaming, "Becky!!"