Ethan raised his eyebrows. “Maybe this time she’ll call your parents again and tattle.”

I finally snapped. “I’m not that idle.”

I forced down the fury rising in my chest. “I swear—I won’t interfere, I won’t call anyone. Okay? I just want to go home, rest, and take the exam properly tomorrow.”

I reached for my bag, but he yanked it from me.

“What are you doing?!” I shouted, panic crashing over me.

In the next second, he pulled out my admission ticket and held it up high.

My face went pale. I lunged at him. “You’re insane! Give it back!”

Ethan dangled the ticket just out of reach, like taunting a kitten. “I don’t trust you. Now that I’ve got this, you won’t try anything stupid. Don’t ruin Sophie’s birthday.”

My eyes burned with tears as my voice cracked. “Ethan, you bastard!”

The hatred in my eyes startled him. His expression faltered, and his voice softened:

“As long as you don’t rat us out, I’ll give it back. Didn’t we promise to go to the same university? Of course I’ll return it to you.”

“Just don’t mess up Sophie’s 18th birthday.”

I stared at him, heart sinking like a stone.

Eighteen years of childhood memories.

But my future meant less to him than Sophie’s birthday party.

I trembled, silently watching him.

He avoided my gaze, then gave a casual smile and turned to the others.

“Crisis averted. Everyone, enjoy the night.”

Sophie immediately wrapped herself around him, her voice sweet and delicate.

“Thank you, Ethan. This is the best birthday gift I’ve ever received.”

His ears turned red, but he didn’t push her away. Instead, he gently played with a strand of her hair.

“As long as you’re happy,” he said.

The class erupted in cheers, the noise nearly shaking the roof.

“Best gift isn’t the party, it’s clearly our class monitor, right?”

“Hey, we’re all officially adults tonight. A kiss wouldn’t hurt!”

Ethan chuckled. “Cut it out.”

But the flicker in his eyes was unmistakable.

I stood in the corner, watching it all unfold, my nails digging so hard into my palms I nearly drew blood.

Laugh all you want.

Let’s see if you’re still laughing tomorrow during the exam.

I didn’t even bother to grab my schoolbag. I turned and walked out.

But they weren’t done with me.

Ethan’s voice rang out coldly: “Lock her in the gym.”

“Let her out after the party.”

I froze, eyes wide. “You’re insane! Let me go!”

Several boys grabbed me, twisted my arms behind my back, and dragged me toward the old gymnasium.

They flung me onto the ground—pain shot through my arm as blood scraped across the concrete.

Ethan hesitated for a second, but then his face hardened with resolve.

He picked up my phone and stomped on it until the screen went black.

“Don’t be petty,” he said flatly. “Just stay put. I’m the class monitor—I’m just helping the class enjoy the night. If it were your birthday, I’d do the same.”

“Just wait here. I’ll come get you later.”

Then he closed the door.

The heavy iron slammed shut. Darkness swallowed me whole.

I lay there, calling for help until my throat went raw.

Time passed—minutes, maybe hours—before footsteps echoed outside.

I scrambled up, desperate. “Help me—!”

The door creaked open.

It was Dad.

He rushed inside, eyes frantic, and pulled me into his arms.

“Sweetheart? What happened? I couldn’t reach you. I called Ethan, and he said you were at a party...”

"How could you go out and party right before the college entrance exam? I knew something must’ve happened!" Dad’s voice trembled. "I ran out looking for you, but I never imagined you’d be locked inside the school!"

“Was it Ethan? I won’t let him get away with this!”

After two lifetimes, seeing my father alive and well in front of me again broke me. I threw myself into his arms and burst into tears.

Dad was startled, unsure how to comfort me. “It’s okay now. Don’t be scared. Tell Dad what happened.”

“I’m fine,” I whispered, wiping away tears and forcing myself to stay calm.

It would be far too easy to expose Ethan and ruin their celebration.

But that wouldn’t be enough.

I wanted them to regret it for the rest of their lives.

When Mom arrived and saw my bruises and scrapes, her expression changed instantly.

But I simply said, “I’m fine, Mom. I don’t want to stay here anymore. I want to go abroad to study—and settle down with you.”

In my past life, I gave up an offer from a prestigious foreign university, all for Ethan’s stupid promise: “Let’s go to college together.”

And what did I get in return? Humiliation, betrayal, and heartbreak.

This time, I wasn’t about to bet on him keeping my admission ticket.

I gave up the college entrance exam.

When we got home, I collapsed into bed and drifted in and out of sleep, haunted by the memories of my previous life.

When I woke again, my pillow was soaked with tears.

I took a deep breath, slid a SIM card into my old phone, and powered it on.

My feed was flooded with posts—classmates, Ethan, and Sophie all sharing their night.

In one photo, Sophie leaned against Ethan’s chest, face flushed, eyes twinkling with a coy smile. He looked gentle, indulgent.

But my eyes were drawn to the empty fruit wine cans stacked behind them.

They’d drunk that much? Forget exam performance—some might not even wake up in the morning.

Someone even uploaded a video.

“Give me a kiss!” a voice shouted, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

Ethan wrapped his arms around Sophie, kissing her deeply like he couldn’t get enough of her.

I felt nothing but disgust and quickly shut the video off.

Then, I saw a new notification—Sophie had posted a story, set to visible only to me.

The moment I opened it, I was greeted by a series of breathy, suggestive gasps.

My stomach turned.

Even without looking closely, I knew the man entangled with her was Ethan.

Sophie’s voice came next, mocking and breathless:

“Emma, Ethan said he loves me and that he’s going to marry me when we get into college. Why would someone like you even try to compete with me?”

Then she posted a photo.

Shreds of paper—my admission ticket, torn into pieces.

“I told him to choose,” she continued. “He ripped your ticket up without hesitation. Said it was the perfect excuse to dump you and avoid going to the same college.”

“I can’t wait to see your face tomorrow. Enjoy your extra year in school. Happy senior year in advance~”

Even though I’d expected it—half expected it—it still hit like a punch to the gut. My chest tightened.

Three years of relentless studying… reduced to a pile of trash on the floor.

Just then, I heard the phone ring in the living room.

I stepped out to see Dad answering with a stunned expression. His voice rose with urgency.

“What? A student? A senior high schooler? Alcohol poisoning? Okay, I’ll head there now.”

His face had gone pale, and his forehead was glistening with sweat.

When he looked up and saw me, he must’ve thought I was worried about my classmates.

He tried to reassure me: “Don’t worry—it might not be someone from your class. I’ll go check. And even if it is, I’ll make sure they recover in time. They won’t miss the exam tomorrow.”

I looked at his concerned face and remembered how, in my past life, I had the same worry.

That night, I even dragged Dad to wait near the school bus stop—just in case any classmates were too hungover to show up, and he could help them recover quickly.

I never expected that in my past life, those ungrateful people would claim that my father threatened my classmates on my behalf.

That lie led to a wave of crazed netizens storming our home and killing my entire family under the guise of avenging Sophie.

But this time, I will never let my father get dragged into this mess again.

...

The next morning, I ate the breakfast Dad made and took the bus to school.

As time drew closer, the shuttle bus stop for the college entrance exam remained unusually quiet.

The teachers looked more and more anxious.

“What’s going on? Is the Rocket Class skipping the college entrance exam?”

Our head teacher walked over, looking haggard and drained, followed by a few students who were pale and shaky.

When they saw me, they avoided eye contact, shame and regret written all over their faces.

The principal looked grim. He listened to the head teacher’s stumbling report, and his fury exploded:

“I warned you again and again to watch your food and stay disciplined before the exam! But you all went drinking at a bar the night before?!”

“Now only five of you are able to sit the exam. The rest? Hospitalized for gastric lavage. Some are even in the ICU?!”

“Have you lost your minds? You’re destroying your own future—and dragging my career down with you!”

His outburst drew attention from nearby parents and the media.

“Oh my God, we’re extra careful just cooking meals these days, and these kids dared to drink until they poisoned themselves?”

“They had time to party and drink at a time like this? And are these supposed to be the top students? More like a gang of punks.”

“My kid’s grades may be average, but at least he’s responsible. The parents of those so-called geniuses must be losing it.”

“I’ve worked in media for years, and I’ve never seen an entire class drink so much before the college entrance exam that they couldn’t take it.”

Cameras clicked rapidly.

The principal’s face turned ashen. “It’s over. I’m finished. The school is finished.”

The American teacher, who’d always favored Ethan and Sophie, paled. “Where are Ethan and Sophie? They were our Yale hopefuls!”

The academic director hung his head. “We still haven’t reached them. We’ve reported it to the police.”

The principal staggered, clutching his chest. Then he looked at me—and hope suddenly flickered in his eyes.

“Emma is a good student. She stayed away from them. We still have a shot at placing someone at Yale.”

I lowered my eyes and said with fake remorse, “Ethan was worried I’d report him, so he took my admission ticket. He hasn’t shown up since. I probably won’t be able to take the exam.”

Bang! The principal collapsed on the spot.

Panic broke out. Some rushed him to the hospital; others herded the remaining students to the test site.

I got on the shuttle. The atmosphere was heavy—someone had already started crying.

“My dad’s gonna kill me… I shouldn’t have gone to that bar…”

“What do we do now? I can’t get into a top school… It’s all Sophie’s fault…”

I stared out the window, listening to their sobs with a blank expression.

Didn’t you all say you were geniuses? Was the exam just a formality?

So what are you crying about now? Afraid to fail?

When I arrived at the testing center, I was indeed turned away—I had no admission ticket.

A classmate overheard and looked at me guiltily. He whispered, “I’m sorry.”

After confirming I couldn’t enter, I turned around and left.

My father’s face was pale with rage. He felt sorry for me but cursed Ethan out loud.

Before we even left the premises, the incident had already blown up.

The parents of the Rocket Class’s top students launched a live broadcast, issued a joint statement, contacted the police, and hired lawyers—

They demanded accountability from the school, Ethan, and Sophie.