Chapter 67

The next day, Zinnia and the others were driven to school by Jackson. Basc walked her to her class first before heading off himself. As Zinnia entered the classroom, her classmates greeted her warmly.

“Zinnia, good morning.”

“Good morning,” she replied. After a night, Zinnia had managed to adjust her mood and sat down.

“Zinnia, did you not sleep well last night? Your dark circles are really bad,” Ethan noticed as soon as she sat. Zinnia’s pale skin made any tiny blemish stand out starkly. His comment drew the attention of Brian and Lydia as well.

“Went to bed late,” Zinnia explained.

After chatting with Jackson the previous night, Zinnia had started to feel better. She’d known how Maelis and the others felt about her for a while, but actually facing the reality of being abandoned made it tough emotionally. After Jackson left, Zinnia had a rare bout of insomnia. She thought about many things, not knowing when she finally fell asleep. But by then, she had only thought, “Allies with the Shaw family are severed. From now on, I won’t let the Shaw family’s affairs bother me. They won’t matter to me anymore.”

Early that morning, Zinnia noticed her dark circles and ended up worrying Sofia and the others for quite a while. These days, young people staying up late is common, so no one probed further. Ethan continued the conversation with another topic. “Zinnia, did you finish the homework?”

At the mention of homework, Zinnia’s expression froze with worry. “No.” She pulled out her workbook from her bag and barely any questions were answered. She’d finished her language arts assignments, but hadn’t even touched the math or physics questions–they were totally beyond her.

“Do I really have to do this homework?” Zinnia asked, her face full of frustration as she stared at the blank workbook, her hand supporting her chin. She was puzzled, thinking, “Why can others figure it out but I can’t? My brain feels empty.”

“You want to copy mine, Zinnia?” Ethan handed his workbook to her. “Mine’s alright but probably not as accurate as Lydia’s. If you have questions, ask Lydia, but her grades are insanely good. You'll definitely get caught copying by the teacher,” Ethan continued.

“Really? The teacher won’t be angry and scold me, right?” Zinnia looked at the offered workbook like it was a lifeline and quickly took it.

Ethan thought for a moment before answering carefully, “You can’t copy the math because William will take you to the office. But for other subjects, if you have no time, it’s okay to copy a bit. Our teachers are nice and don’t scold.”

Their class wasn’t strictly monitored, especially since they were in their final year. It was mostly about self-discipline. It was common for many girls to struggle with science subjects. Their teachers were understanding and more focused on attitudes toward learning rather than whether students copied or not. The teachers at Evershine High were highly selected, among the best with top-notch teaching abilities. Ethan couldn’t bear seeing Zinnia’s troubled face.

“Got it.” Zinnia sighed, hearing she’d still have to do some of it herself. She wondered, “Why do we have homework anyway?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t copy then.” She nodded, thinking Ethan said the teachers wouldn’t scold. She’d written what she could. The rest was beyond her grasp; even if she forced herself, she wouldn’t learn it today or next time.

Besides, Zinnia had another plan in mind. She thought, “If I show them I’m not smart from the start, the teachers won’t expect much from me in the future. Then I can be comfortably clueless. I’m so clever; I gave them a heads-up—I’m super dumb.”

“Zinnia, if you have trouble with anything, you should ask Lydia. She’s great at all subjects, and if she explains it, you’ll definitely understand,” Ethan said, pointing to Lydia who was quiet and reserved.

Zinnia turned to look at Lydia, surprised to realize her deskmate was so modest. She thought, “Being good at all subjects–how smart can someone be? What an amazing brain.”

Feeling Zinnia’s gaze, Lydia glanced at her briefly and then pressed her lips together. “If there’s something you don’t understand, I can teach you,” Lydia said softly.

“Okay.” Zinnia nodded and turned back to struggle with her homework again. She figured she should try a bit herself before relying on others. But her ambitious spirit crumbled at the sight of the first math question. She wondered, “What is a complex number? Why am I trying to do this alone when I have someone smart right next to me?”

Feeling clueless, Zinnia turned and lightly poked Lydia’s arm with her finger. “Lydia, what’s a complex number?”

Lydia remained silent for a moment.

Zinnia whined as she learned, “This is so tiring, can I just not study?”

After Lydia explained patiently for a while and walked her through the problem, Zinnia eventually understood. Then again, she had only solved one problem but it felt like she had exhausted all her energy.

Holding a pink strawberry pen, Zinnia slumped over her desk, tapping it absentmindedly.

“Here,” Lydia said, noticing Zinnia’s gloominess. She pulled out a foil-wrapped container from her drawer and handed it to her.

As soon as she opened the container, a tempting milky aroma filled the air.

“Egg tarts,” Lydia said, revealing the golden, enticing pastries.

“For me?” Zinnia perked up slightly, her dull eyes lighting up at the sight of the delicious-smelling egg tarts. Since leaving the Shaw family, Zinnia realized there was so much tasty food out there, not just the grass from the Shaws‘ garden.

Lydia nodded. “Yes. I hope you like it.”

Zinnia’s voice was sweet with gratitude. “Thank you, Lydia.”

Knowing it was for her, Zinnia’s eyes sparkled with joy as she eagerly took one. She picked the taro flavor, layered with flaky crusts, looking incredibly tempting.

“Lydia, did you make something yummy again?” Ethan and others in the front row turned around, smelling the sweet aroma. They saw Zinnia eating happily.

They looked at the remaining egg tarts in the foil container–some had strawberries, kiwi, matcha, Oreo, and soy milk. There were six in total, each looking beautifully crafted.

Lydia was not only excellent academically but also amazing at making treats–almost at a professional pastry chef level. Everyone in class remembered the delicious snacks she had made before.

Lydia nodded lightly: “Next time I’ll make some for you too.”

After a day of classes, Zinnia felt dazed. Fortunately, the school had plenty of delicious food, and Lydia gave her some snacks. The teachers were kind and didn’t scold her even if she didn’t finish her homework.

Back home after classes, Zinnia encountered another Shaw brother–this time it was Howard.

Howard spoke up. “Zinnia,”