Noelle couldn''t even bring herself to look at Cedric. She was afraid that even a single nce at him would give her away.


    Alfred spoke up, "Nelly, just say it! Whatever you wish for, I will make it happen!"


    Without thinking, Noelle blurted out, "I want to go to a bar."


    "No problem!" Alfred immediately agreed.


    "No way," Cedric interjected firmly.


    Noelle instinctively turned to Cedric, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation.


    Their eyes met for a moment, and Cedric quickly relented. "Why do you want to go to a bar?"


    Noelle''s tone was full of longing. "Because I''ve never been, and I want to try it."


    In truth, it was because she hadn''t been to one in this lifetime. She had gone to a bar once in her previous life, but the experience had left her with a mental trauma. This time, she wanted to face it again and put those painful memories to rest. Alfred yfully smacked Cedric on the chest. "Why won''t you let her go? Boohoo, you viin! Such a meanie!"


    Cedric''s lips twitched. "You''d better shut up, you drama queen!"


    Noelleughed so hard her stomach hurt. She really liked how life felt now. But shortly after, she received a message from Frank. "Noelle, the results are out. How did you do? Did your score innguage take a hit?"


    Noelle let out a coldugh when she saw the message. So Frank also knew the stationery incident could have affected her performance.


    No one here was a fool. They just pretended not to understand. Noelle replied with a tone she hadn''t used before, "What do you think?"


    "I''m sorry, Noelle. Whateverpensation you want, I will agree to it. Even if you want to repeat a year, I''ll be there to apany you every day." But Noelle didn''t respond.


    Frank stared at his phone, frustration mounting inside him.


    It was his actions that had affected Noelle''s performance. He knew how hard she had worked in the past few months and how much her grades had improved. Frank then overheard Xenia crying as he returned to the


    living room.


    Gordon and Lucas were trying tofort her. Gordon said, "Ms. Quigley, you didn''t do well because you were sick during those days. Your abilities are far beyond those scores."


    Lucas added, "Exactly, Xenia, don''t


    be upset. Test scores don''t mean everything. Especially for families like ours-even if your results aren''t great, they won''t affect your future opportunities."  en


    Xenia said sadly, wiping her tears, "But Noelle must have done really well, right? I was hoping to go to the same school as her, but now it seems impossible."


    Lucas blurted out, "She probably didn''t do that well. I heard about a top student whosenguage exam didn''t go well, and their final score was only about a hundred points higher than yours."


    A trace of smugness shed in Xenia''s eyes. So it seemed Noelle really had been affected by that faulty stationery.


    Frank walked over with a stern expression. "Lucas, are you gloating? Noelle is our sister. If she doesn''t do well, how does that benefit you?"


    "Frank, that''s not what I meant. I was just trying tofort Xenia."


    "Comforting Xenia doesn''t mean you have to put down Noelle, does it?"


    After being reprimanded, Lucas realized his words were out of line and muttered, "I get it. I won''t do it again. But what did Noelle say?"


    Frank''s face remained grim. "What do you think? Anyone in her position would be upset. This is all my fault!"


    He med himself for mishandling the situation.


    Xenia chimed in with feigned concern, "Frank, if Noelle feels


    terrible about her results and wants to repeat a year, I''m happy to


    apany her. After all, we''real ne


    family, and we should improve together.


    "But I think Noelle probably won''t want to stay with the family any longer, so she might not consider repeating."


    Frank frowned. "That''s not her decision to make. I''ll personally ensure she repeats the year and will take care of everything for her until she retakes the exams."


    This way, he could also focus on mending his rtionship with Noelle.