Chapter 4

I glanced up at my phone and found that the time had already passed midnight. The competition registration deadline was over.

Just as the live stream comments had predicted, Ryan hadn't submitted his entry.

The next day, I went to Ryan's house and knocked on the door.

I'd put in so much effort for the postgraduate recommendation. His sudden decision to back out of our promise made me furious.

But I never expected to see Claire sitting in the Harper family's living room. She greeted me as if she owned the place. "Emily, what are you doing here? Looking for Ryan? I'll go get him for you."

With that, she stood up, ready to shout for Ryan from his room.

The live stream comments popped up right on cue. Netizen A: [Our genius Claire is here to piss Emily off again.]

I took a deep breath to suppress the irritation in my chest, then strode quickly to Ryan's bedroom door. I knocked lightly three times before pushing it open directly.

At that moment, Ryan hadn't even put on his T-shirt yet. He stared at me in shock.

Claire let out an incredulous shriek. "Emily, how could you do that? Y-you're invading Ryan's privacy."

The live stream comments erupted into insults directed at me. Netizen A: [What a cheap move, Emily. You just want to prove you know Ryan better than Claire, don't you?]

In truth, Helen had never installed a lock on Ryan's door since he was a kid, fearing something might happen to him if she couldn't get in quickly. To avoid disturbing Ryan while he painted, I'd always gone into his room like this.

I cut straight to the chase. "Ryan, we promised to go to Silversmith University together. Why do you get to back out just like that?"

Ryan avoided my gaze, slowly pulling on his T-shirt without saying a word.

But Claire suddenly spoke up, her voice dripping with fake grievance. "Emily, don't blame Ryan. It's my fault. If those hooligans hadn't harassed me, he wouldn't have missed the registration deadline."

I replied flatly, "I wasn't talking to you. Don't flatter yourself."

Claire's eyes widened, clearly not expecting me to give her no face at all.

Ryan frowned, his tone sharp with displeasure when he said, "Emily, don't be so rude to her. This has nothing to do with her."

I almost laughed out of anger. I raised my voice and shot back, "Fine, tell me, why are you breaking our promise for no reason? Because she got into trouble? When she was in trouble, she didn't call the police. She came to you instead?"

Ryan couldn't meet my eyes, his guilt obvious as he knew the truth.

Just then, Helen heard the commotion and walked over. "Emily, why are you so angry all of a sudden?"

I was about to speak when Claire cut me off. She said, "Emily, Ryan has his own plans. You shouldn't tie his future to your own wishes."

The live stream comments went wild instantly. Netizen A: [Wow. Our Claire is activating her boyfriend-protecting mode.]

I stared coldly at Claire, then turned to Ryan and asked, "Ryan, am I forcing you? Did I drag you to Silversmith University against your will?"

Ryan fell silent for a moment before saying, "I want to stay at this university on my own."

A sharp pain tightened in my chest, and I was too angry to speak. He hadn't answered my question. Instead, he'd stabbed me in the back again.

Claire let out a mocking laugh. "Emily, stop making Ryan accommodate you and ruining his future. Ryan's a genius. Don't you think he knows what's best for himself?"

Ryan said nothing, as if silently agreeing with Claire's words.

Helen looked awkward, and she said, "Emily, I'm happy for you that you got into Silversmith University. But since Ryan wants to stay here, you should respect his decision."

She continued, "Ryan's not a kid anymore; he shouldn't keep relying on you to take care of him. You two should also be more mindful of how others see you."

My heart turned icy cold in an instant.

Growing up, my parents were always too busy with work to come home, leaving me alone in the house most of the time.

When I was little, it was my neighbor Helen who'd call me over for meals every day, giving me the only warm memories of what a family should be. I'd poured all my affection and dependence into the Harper mother and son.

To repay Helen's kindness, I'd always tried to ease her worries.

Ryan, with his autism, could never fit in with his classmates, so I stepped up to shield him from all the stares and bullying. I'd protected him like that for over a decade, never wavering.

Every plan I'd made for my future included Ryan. Helen had long known about our promise to go to Silversmith University together. Now, she acted like she was relieved I wouldn't have to "trouble" myself with him anymore, but her tone was clearly blaming me.

The live stream comments were ecstatic.

Netizen A: [Even Ryan's mom is on Claire's side. What a failure Emily is.]

Netizen B: [Ryan's mom has realized Claire can heal Ryan better than Emily ever could. Emily is useless now. Look at our lovely Claire.]

Netizen C: [So happy to see Emily's face turn black with anger. I've been waiting for this. Total satisfying plot.]

It was then that I noticed, ever since Ryan had spoken, Helen's gaze had been fixed on Claire, filled with surprise and excitement.

She'd noticed Ryan's special treatment of Claire, too. So she'd unhesitatingly chosen to stand with her son and Claire.

All the strength drained out of me. After over a decade of being together, I'd never been anything more than a useful outsider. I didn't want a family like this anymore.

I replied in resignation, "Fine. Then I'll never interfere with Ryan's business again."