Chapter 1

Suddenly, people started saying I was the main character, but honestly, I had no clue what was going on.

My name is Claire Shepherd. I grew up as the only child in a rural family.

Thanks to my good grades, I caught the attention of the local school and scored an admission to the elite school nearby. My tuition was fully covered, but I had to pay for my own living expenses.

On my first day at the school, I glanced around at all the new faces and headed up to the front of the class.

"Hi, everyone. I'm Claire. I'm from a rural family, and my parents work out of town," I introduced myself with quiet, steady poise.

The room went quiet.

The teacher showed me to my seat, and nobody batted an eye at the new kid. Everyone was busy with their own stuff.

For the whole first month, I didn't really get to know anyone in my class. My routine was going to school and eating out every day after class.

As for why, well, the cafeteria was too pricey for someone like me.

"Alright, everyone, monthly assessments are next week, so make sure you're ready," the teacher announced from the front of the class. The curriculum here was like any other high school, so I settled in and buckled down to review.

When the results were posted, I ranked first in the class with a top score. Seeing my name at the very top, I nodded to myself, feeling a wave of satisfaction.

"Isn't Claire the new girl? She's actually really impressive," I overheard some classmates whispering. "She always seems so quiet, but turns out she's a straight-A student."

Back in the classroom, I dove right back into my studies.

"Hi, I'm Lily." I looked at the sweet, cute girl in front of me.

"Hi, I'm Claire," I replied politely, putting down my pen.

Lily was the heiress of the Lane Group. Her family was super rich, but her grades were always so-so.

"Um... I was wondering if you could help me with something... would you be willing?" Lily's voice grew quieter, and she seemed a bit shy.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Could you tutor me? You're always at the top of the class," Lily said. As she spoke, I couldn't help thinking how even the cheapest meal in the cafeteria cost a fortune.

"Alright, but you're the Lane heiress, so I bet money's not a problem. Name your price for a tutoring session," I said, testing the waters.

She didn't expect me to agree so quickly. After a brief moment of surprise, she said confidently, "How about 300 dollars for an hour?"

I was honestly shocked by the price. Back home, tutoring usually only paid me about 27 dollars per session.

Seeing me hesitate, she probably thought I was unimpressed with the offer. After all, her parents had spent millions on her education, with private tutors, professional coaching and the works . "If you think that's too little, I can add more," Lily said.

"No, I'll do it," I replied, snapping out of it and nodding eagerly. '300 dollars per session? These rich kids at the elite school really are generous,' I thought.

Our tutoring sessions were set for Wednesday through Friday. During the very first lesson, I finally understood why Lily's grades were always average. Her fundamentals were shaky, so she'd blank out on certain topics during exams.

"I put together a study plan for you based on what you need. Here, check it out," I said, handing her my notes.

She took the notes, flipping through them with curiosity. "Why is everything here just basics?" she asked, her face full of confusion.

"Exactly," I replied, tapping my finger on the basics in the notes, my voice calm but firm. "If you don't get the foundation solid, you'll never be able to tackle anything harder."

"Besides, a lot of these basic questions are things you're already familiar with. Solving them quickly boosts your confidence. It's much better than diving into tough questions right away and ending up frustrated, don't you think?" I said.

I paused, opened up Lily's old test papers, and pointed to the questions where she mixed up basic concepts and lost marks.

I continued, "Look at these mistakes. It's not because you don't know complicated techniques, but because you haven't memorized the most basic formulas and theorems. Once you master the basics, your scores will steadily improve."

Lily followed my plan, spending two months drilling basic questions. Once she got the hang of it, I switched things up and gave her some tougher versions of those basics, kind of like leveling up from the foundation.

She started to really trust me. When finals came, she looked at her test paper, totally confident. "Yes, finally finished," she said, grinning.

Winter break rolled around, and I headed back to my hometown. When the grades came out, Lily called me, practically bouncing with excitement. "Grace, I got an A. That's a huge improvement from last time. My parents are freaking out. They're so happy."

"Keep it up, I believe in you," I said, offering a few more words of encouragement before hanging up. Then I looked at the stash of cash I'd earned from tutoring her this semester.

"Sweetie, you're not getting bullied at school, are you?" Mom asked, her voice full of concern. I shook my head.

"Oh, by the way, Mom, I've been tutoring some classmates at school and made some extra cash," I told her.

"Don't push yourself too hard, alright?" Mom said, her voice soft with concern.

Mom fussed, still sounding uneasy, "That elite school is crazy expensive. If you ever find yourself short on cash, don't try to tough it out. Your dad and I can always scrimp a bit and send you more if you need it."

I flashed a reassuring smile, my tone upbeat and confident. "Seriously, Mom, you don't need to worry. I'm earning my own money now, so relax. I'm really doing fine."