Chapter 264 - 262: As Expected of Her Brother

Hearing this, Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but nod in relief. "I’m glad you think that way."

Ethan Sterling said, "It’s impossible to adapt to a completely new environment right away. But sis, as long as our family can be together, I’m not afraid of any hardship. I’m really, really happy right now."

"Me too. I’m very happy."

Cecilia Sterling’s words were laden with countless inexpressible emotions. She had been waiting for this day ever since she had returned to being twenty years old.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait too long. Her family could finally live together again.

The next day, Cecilia Sterling also woke up bright and early, as she had to personally take her brother to his new school.

Ethan Sterling looked exhausted. The first lesson in not being acclimated to a new place was a guaranteed night of insomnia. He had counted sheep into the five-digit range, until a terrifying mountain of countless sheep faces, like something out of a horror film, piled up before him. He hastily switched to a different method.

He only managed to fall asleep around three or four in the morning, finally succumbing to an exhaustion he could no longer fight.

"Cecilia Sterling, Estelle asked me to bring this over."

At the door, Cecilia Sterling took the breakfast from Charles Jennings and smiled apologetically. "Sorry to trouble you."

"It’s no problem."

Charles Jennings gave an expressionless nod. Just as he was about to say goodbye, he saw a boy in pajamas with a sleepy bedhead appear behind Cecilia Sterling.

Ethan Sterling looked at Charles Jennings. "Hey? You’re not...?"

Cecilia Sterling cut in, "He’s not!"

"Oh."

Charles Jennings gave Ethan Sterling a polite nod before saying goodbye to Cecilia. "Well, I’ll be heading back now."

"Okay, thanks!"

The moment she closed the door, Ethan Sterling couldn’t wait to ask, "Sis, who is that? Isn’t he your boyfriend? He’s pretty handsome!"

Cecilia Sterling waved the breakfast in her hand and said impatiently, "The delivery guy!"

Having just stepped out of the main gate, Charles Jennings suddenly sneezed!

Lorcain Second Middle School was less than three kilometers from Hearthstone Villas. Despite some morning congestion, the drive only took about fifteen minutes.

After parking the car, she brought her brother to the school gate. It was the time of day when students were arriving for school, and the entrance to the Second Middle School was teeming with energetic and high-spirited teenagers.

Ethan Sterling gazed curiously at the main entrance of his new school, his heart beginning to beat a little faster.

Cecilia Sterling was just about to pull out her phone to call the number Mr. Young had given her when a middle-aged man in glasses proactively approached her and asked tentatively, "Are you Miss Sterling?"

Cecilia looked over in surprise and nodded instinctively, venturing a guess of her own. "Are you Director Woods?"

"Yes, yes, that’s me! Miss Sterling, you’re right on time." Director Woods quickly broke into a smile and said half-jokingly, "Young told me to just walk up and greet the prettiest girl I saw. I told him he was talking nonsense, but I guess he wasn’t kidding after all."

Cecilia chuckled at his words and quickly pulled her brother forward. "Director Woods, this is my brother. He previously attended Veridia No. 8 Middle School. I sent his academic records to Mr. Young; I believe he’s already shown them to you?"

"I have. He’s a very outstanding student. With grades like these, he’s top university material no matter where he goes." Director Woods sighed. "It’s a shame his official student file has to remain at his old school. If only he had transferred a year earlier, during his second year, it would have been perfect."

"Well, let’s go. Please, come with me."

As they walked onto the campus of the Second Middle School, its layout was completely different from Veridia No. 8 Middle School. Director Woods gave them a tour as they walked. "The main field is straight ahead, made up of an outer rubber track and an inner activity field. The basketball courts are to the north, and there’s a smaller field in the back that also serves as the soccer pitch."

"Over there is the cafeteria. Our school takes great pride in its food. The stalls undergo a weekly hygiene inspection; we take food safety very seriously."

Finally, they arrived at the director’s office in the administration building. After they entered, Director Woods first ushered Cecilia Sterling to a seat on the sofa and poured her a cup of hot tea. Only then did he unhurriedly pick up the landline on his desk and make a call.

A short while later, a middle-aged woman who looked like a teacher knocked on the office door.

"Director, you were looking for me?"

Director Woods quickly waved her over. "Sanders, come in. I have a transfer student from Veridia here. I’m placing him in your advanced class."

As he spoke, he didn’t forget to ask Ethan Sterling, "Son, are you nearsighted? If you are, we can have the teacher arrange a seat for you toward the front."

"I’m not nearsighted. Thank you, Director," Ethan Sterling said quickly.

Upon hearing this, the teacher’s expression grew troubled. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke up. "Director, I don’t think that’s appropriate."

"What’s wrong?" Director Woods asked, puzzled.

Cecilia subconsciously rose slowly to her feet as she heard Ms. Sanders say earnestly, "The students in my advanced class all earned their spots by passing an exam. Only the top sixty-five students from the school-wide placement test are admitted. They all got in on their own merit."

"If I suddenly drop in a transfer student from out of town, the other students are bound to get emotional. Both the students who are already in the advanced class and those who didn’t make the cut will feel the school is being unfair. This is the final, critical stretch of their senior year. If this affects the students’ morale, that’s a responsibility I cannot bear!"

Every point Ms. Sanders made was valid. It was clear she wasn’t deliberately trying to make things difficult for Ethan Sterling, but was simply a very responsible homeroom teacher.

"This kid’s grades are excellent. At Veridia No. 8 Middle School, he was always first in his year, second at the very worst. Here, let me pull up his records for you," Director Woods quickly explained, making a move to get his phone.

But Ms. Sanders just sighed. "Director, what good will it do to show me? The real issue is how the students will perceive this!"

"But..."

Before Director Woods could say more, Cecilia Sterling spoke up. "Director Woods, I think this teacher makes a very valid point. If this incident affects the school and causes students to question its fairness, then that’s a responsibility my brother and I cannot bear."

"Besides, if rumors and gossip were to spread through the school, it would affect my brother as well, which is not something I want to see happen."

Director Woods looked conflicted. As the school’s director, no one could stop him if he insisted on placing Ethan Sterling in the class.

But faced with the arguments from both Ms. Sanders and Cecilia Sterling, he couldn’t just ignore the potential fallout and stubbornly push his own agenda.

"So what do we do?"

Director Woods was getting a headache. He had already promised Young. If he couldn’t even handle a small matter like this, Young would surely hold it against him.

But just then, Ethan Sterling himself stepped forward. "Director, Ms. Sanders, I can take the school’s placement test. You can use the set of exams from the school-wide test; something even more difficult would be fine, too. I will use my own scores to earn my place in the advanced class fair and square!"

"That’s an excellent idea!" Director Woods’s eyes lit up.

Ms. Sanders also nodded, agreeing that it was a viable solution.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Ethan Sterling added, "And I’ll do it in the hallway, right outside the advanced classroom. That way, everyone can watch. They can all be my proctors!"

He said this calmly, yet with a commanding presence. Hearing his words, Cecilia couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl into a smile.

’That’s my brother,’ she thought.