Oliver Scott paused, didn’t speak, and rather awkwardly rubbed his nose. "Sorry." He exhaled and mustered up the courage to express his attitude, "My attitude wasn’t great last time." After thinking it over, he still felt he should apologize. If Nora Scott really had hostility towards him, she wouldn’t have helped when she first saw him being chased. His previous behavior towards Nora was too willful; no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t get past it in his heart. The education he received was— If you realize you’re wrong, you should step up and take responsibility, rather than just avoiding it. Nora was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting him to apologize. After a moment, Nora smirked playfully, "By your logic, I wouldn’t know how many times I’d need to apologize." Oliver was a bit surprised. So, she was aware of her attitude towards him. Nora squinted slightly. "Nothing." Oliver felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight up his spine and quickly denied it. Pausing, he hesitantly looked at Nora and continued, "Dad really hopes you can come back often. My sister and mom... it might take a while for them to accept." For him to say this was already a subtle sign of accepting Nora. Nora smiled but didn’t discuss the difficulty of coexisting peacefully with Alma Ferreira and Sophie Scott. She just murmured, "Mm." Seeing this, Oliver clearly let out a sigh of relief. The stone that was hanging in his heart finally settled firmly, giving him a sense of security. "What are you doing standing here?" Just as Oliver wanted to say more, suddenly, Marcus Shaw’s cool voice sounded from behind. Oliver turned his head and met Marcus’s warning gaze, momentarily stunned. He forgot about this little idiot! "I have a question for you." Marcus gave Oliver no chance to speak, grabbing him by the collar and unceremoniously dragging him away from the doorway. One day, he wishes to see this little idiot with an utterly dumbfounded look! Confused, Nora watched the two of them disappear at the doorway and shrugged. Inside, it was as warm as spring, while outside, it was a frozen wonderland. A group of old men was off somewhere having fun, and there was no news from them all day. Meanwhile, Nora and the others leisurely spent their days in the living room. Everything was so comfortable and peaceful that time seemed to pass by slowly. In such a serene environment, Oliver enjoyed a rare, lighthearted, and joyful day. —Something that never happened at home. Alma was strict and had a strong desire for control, always restraining his every move; Ernesto Woods didn’t care about family affairs and often had a stern expression, making any place he went feel cold and hard; Before Sophie went to college, things were fine; she was often home and close to him. But after starting college, she rarely came home, and their conversation topics gradually decreased; This was also why Oliver didn’t like staying at home. Meanwhile, staying here, whether it was bickering with Marcus or listening to Eleanor Taylor chatter, even just watching Nora sit quietly reading a book, felt relaxing. Even his breathing became smoother. Yet, no matter how long the day, it eventually comes to an end. "I have to go now." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on noᴠelfire.net As darkness approached, Oliver glanced at the courtyard and had to say goodbye, feeling a slight reluctance in his heart. Nora, who was peeling an orange, looked up at him upon hearing this and casually asked, "Are you coming back tomorrow?" Marcus and Oliver answered simultaneously. Oliver’s decisive single word directly interrupted Marcus’s refusal. Marcus immediately shot Oliver a cold glare. Oliver ignored it, gave Marcus an amiable smile, and said graciously, "You’re welcome." He spent all day camping at his house, eating his food, and even broke his bedroom window, which, rounding up, was utterly useless. "I can study on my own." Marcus said with a sullen face. Oliver, the study master, smiled sincerely, "I have high study efficiency. I can teach you study methods." He was just busy repaying debts, not neglecting his studies; his study efficiency wasn’t low at all! While the two of them were "politely" exchanging words, Nora suddenly remembered something and said to Oliver, "On the way from your house, there’s a roast duck shop. The flavor’s quite nice." Understanding immediately, Oliver responded, "Alright, I’ll bring some tomorrow." The two were going back and forth, not treating each other as outsiders, so Marcus Shaw simply stopped talking. Marcus Shaw couldn’t figure it out. Just under his nose, when had the two of them started "passing through quietly," and their relationship improved? Perhaps because he could come back tomorrow, Oliver Scott’s mood improved a lot, and he packed up his things and left. Marcus Shaw watched him leave with dissatisfaction. However, Oliver Scott’s feelings were completely not within Marcus Shaw’s scope of consideration. It was quite far from the alley to the Scott family’s house, and Oliver Scott didn’t get home until nearly seven. Ernesto Scott had been on a business trip and wasn’t home these days. It was thought that the house would be quite cold and quiet, but as soon as Oliver Scott entered the living room, he heard lively clamor. "UU... no, Miss Scott, thank you very much for your cooperation." It was a young male voice. Oliver Scott looked up and saw several strangers, some with equipment, cameras, and microphones, others with drafts... Judging by the setup, they ought to be journalists. Besides them, Alma Ferreira and Sophie Scott were also present. Sophie Scott wore exquisite makeup, smiling sweetly and charmingly, "Thank you all for your trouble." The young man who spoke earlier quickly replied: "Not at all, not at all, it’s us who are troubling you." As Oliver Scott was puzzled, Lisa saw him and walked over with a cheerful smile. "Young Master," Lisa greeted him. Oliver Scott asked inexplicably. "These are reporters from the South City Daily, here specifically to interview Miss Sophie Scott." Lisa proudly puffed out her chest, speaking with some smugness, "I heard Miss Sophie Scott’s comics are particularly popular and famous now; they want to do a character interview with Miss Sophie." Oliver Scott had a fairly indifferent expression and didn’t react much. For some reason, the first thing that came to his mind was what Eleanor Taylor had said— Hype, riding the wave; Deliberately posting on Weibo to steer the narrative; Imitating Zero’s art style, storyboards; Oliver Scott should have been happy for Sophie’s success in the comic world, but this time, he just felt something was off. Something didn’t seem right. Like when Eleanor Taylor was indignant: Zero had long become a legend; the art skills and scripts far surpassed UU’s. What’s the reason for the plagiarism, giving UU a chance to free-ride? Coming back to his senses, Oliver saw Alma escorting the journalists to the door. He stepped aside and saw several journalists glancing at him; he calmly nodded to them as a greeting. The journalists continuously nodded back at him and then left, gradually exiting the entrance. "I hadn’t realized the family was this affluent." "Yeah, well-educated, pretty, also a straight-A student, truly a winner in life." "Rich, pretty, a straight-A student; all highlights fit together—this could be a big news story." "With all these conditions met, even without talent, someone like that could still explode in the entertainment industry. It’s a pity about Zero, too secluded, can’t even get in touch." Faintly, Oliver Scott could still hear their fading conversations. Oliver Scott raised his eyes and saw the joyful smiles on Alma Ferreira’s and Sophie Scott’s faces. He pressed his lips together, feeling somewhat weary. There was one thing he hadn’t exposed. Knowing before that Sophie wanted to draw comics, Alma was strongly opposed. But this time, ever since learning that Sophie had gained some success in comics, Alma’s attitude had made a 180-degree turn, not even shying away from discussing with friends the matter of "her daughter being a comic artist." In her words, she would intentionally mention terms like "popular" and "trending," with a hint of pride she couldn’t hide. This didn’t align with the "calm in honor and disgrace" philosophy that Alma had taught him. "Oliver, why are you back so late?" After seeing off the journalists, Alma returned to ask Oliver Scott. Oliver Scott answered casually. Swept away by joy, Alma uncharacteristically didn’t mind her "son returning home after dark," not even uttering a word of blame. She kindly asked Oliver Scott, "Have you had dinner? Sophie and I were busy dealing with the emergency, and we haven’t eaten yet. Want to join us for a meal?" "I’ve eaten," Oliver replied, "a bit tired, I’ll head upstairs first." Alma instructed, "Alright. Final exams are coming soon, make sure to study well, don’t slack off." Responding perfunctorily, Oliver Scott carried his backpack upstairs. Walking past several steps, Oliver heard Alma talking on the phone with a friend. It didn’t take long before she mentioned "Sophie just finished an interview with South City Daily," with a few hints of pride and boasting in her tone. His steps paused, eyes downcast, and when he looked at Sophie in the living room, she was sitting on the sofa with her phone, looking delighted as if chatting about joyous things. His grip on the backpack tightened, and Oliver simply turned his head, acting as if he hadn’t heard or seen anything, swiftly heading upstairs. It was one of the rare good things happening in the family these days. That’s why Sophie and Alma seemed somewhat different from how he remembered.