Chapter 273: Breaking the Deadlock
Chapter 273: Breaking the Deadlock
"It seems we were too naive."
Peering through the auditorium window, William sighed with a hint of disappointment as he looked at the name cards on the table, each bearing the name of a parent, and the neatly folded survey forms. He couldn't help but feel a sense of resignation. Then, turning to Melanie, who was standing beside him with a worried expression, he said,
"Just as I suspected, the adult world doesn't value trust. The promises they make might not even be worth the effort you put into your religious studies homework... You're definitely not getting away without a beating this time."
"Huh?!"
Upon hearing William's words, Melanie, who was already anxious, became even more flustered. She stomped her foot in frustration and glared at him.
"What do you mean I can't avoid a beating? What you wrote is way worse than mine! If Anna sees it, she'll beat you up even harder than she'll beat me!"
"Not necessarily."
William glanced at his foolish sister with a hint of pity and spoke with his hands behind his back, his expression calm.
"A six or seven-year-old saying they want to conquer the world would only be laughed at by adults. But a child of the same age declaring their desire to be a parasite would definitely earn them a harsh scolding.
I'm not as naive as you, and knowing I wouldn't get beaten if I was sure of that, why would I write down my future plans, knowing I might be betrayed?"
"Huh?!?!?!"
After hearing William's response, Melanie was completely stunned, her eyes wide like a frog struck by lightning. She stared at him in disbelief and exclaimed,
"You... You knew you'd be betrayed, but why didn't you warn me?"
"Why should I have warned you?"
William responded with a puzzled expression.
"Your dream is to be a parasite, and if you succeeded, I'd have to support you for the rest of my life. In theory, I should have reported you to Anna to avoid a lifetime of trouble.
But I didn't go to Anna to tattle on you, and that's already me being extra considerate because we're siblings. Why would I specifically remind you?"
"You! I... I'll get you back for this!"
"Are you sure?"
William raised his eyebrows in surprise as Melanie lunged at him.
"Your homework is as blasphemous as it gets, and it could make the religious studies teacher furious. I still have it with me, unsubmitted... Melanie, you don't want to rewrite it, do you?"
"Huh? You... You..."
"Give up on your dream of being a parasite and help me instead!"
William reached out and patted Melanie's shoulder, his expression earnest.
"I've thought it through. To unify the world, we must first overthrow the kingdom. To overthrow the kingdom, we need to gather enough strength, and I already have a plan for that."
"Charlotte from Class 2 is the Prime Minister's daughter. After the parent-teacher conference ends, I'll buy her a hairpin and candy, and if she agrees to marry me, maybe I can get a seat in parliament through her father in the future..."
"You... You've been planning this all along?"
Melanie's expression turned to shock as she heard this.
"Despicable! You always play with Charlotte, and it's because of this?"
"Not exactly."
William shook his head.
"I enjoy playing with Charlotte because she's the prettiest girl in school, and she always brings treats from home. The fact that she's the Prime Minister's daughter is just an unexpected bonus."
"Hmm? But yesterday, you told Mellie from Grade 3 that she was the most..."
"That's not the point, Melanie. What's important now is that I need your help!"
"Huh? Huh?"
Seeing William's serious demeanor, Melanie paused, and instinctively asked,
"What kind of help?"
"Lend me your allowance."
"Huh?"
William grabbed Melanie's shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, his face serious.
"If I keep eating the treats Charlotte brings to school without reciprocating with gifts, my status in the family will suffer... Melanie, you don't want your twin brother to be looked down upon by your future sister-in-law, do you?"
"This chapter ends here)
"I of course wouldn't... Wait! She hasn't agreed to marry you yet!"
"She will."
William spoke with absolute certainty, "In the stories my brother told me, a confession isn't a battle cry, but a declaration after the war. Since I dare to do this, I naturally have full confidence!"
"But..."
"After Charlotte agrees to marry me, I'll help you with next week's homework!"
"Then... You better keep your word and not just write some nonsense to fool me..."
"Don't worry!"
...
"Melanie! William!"
Just as Melanie was about to reach into her pocket, hesitating and preparing to pay, the class teacher rushed over, sweating profusely. Seeing the two of them squatting outside the grand auditorium, he breathed a sigh of relief, then spoke in a slightly exasperated tone:
"Weren't we supposed to gather at the class entrance first, and then come to the auditorium together? How did you..."
"Teacher, why are you only coming now?"
As the twin responsible for being the trickster and scapegoat, Melanie's cute face scrunched up slightly. She then tugged at her skirt, sniffled with her nose red from the cold, and tearfully shifted the blame, "You just said that future matters should be discussed later, and we should attend the parent-teacher conference first. We came here and there's no one around, and we were afraid you wouldn't find us if we wandered off. So we waited here... Waa... It's so cold outside the auditorium, and the wind is strong..."
"..."
I think... I did say that? But I meant for you to gather at the class entrance first, not come directly here... Um... It seems I wasn't clear enough, causing these two kids to misunderstand.
"Sorry, it was my fault for not explaining properly."
After taking a few deep breaths and calming down, the teacher patted Melanie's head and then opened the auditorium door, letting them in. He then spoke gently:
"The seats by the east window are all for our class. The side door next to the stage leads to the backstage. If there's anything, you can knock and ask the adults backstage or in the auditorium for help..."
"Melanie, William, I still need to go back once to bring the other students, can you two wait here for a bit?"
"Okay! We'll wait here for you to come back."
"Oh, we understand."
After the class teacher hurriedly left, Melanie, who had just been sitting like a well-behaved child, suddenly jumped down from her chair, her eyes filled with excitement:
"Quick, quick! Where's your charcoal pencil? Hurry and change our attendance record!"
"Are you an idiot?"
After glancing at her foolish sister, William sighed, "The teacher has already checked, and we can't imitate her handwriting. If you change it now, do you want Anna to spank you harder?"
Can't change it? What should we do? Recalling Anna's temperamental appearance, Melanie couldn't help but rack her brains for a solution, fearing a beating in front of everyone.
However, solutions weren't easy to come by, and after pondering for a while, Melanie still couldn't think of a good idea. Meanwhile, scattered footsteps could be heard outside the auditorium, as the parents summoned for the conference were arriving.
The parents were already here, and there was no more time! By then, Anna... That's it! The parents!
Just as Melanie was getting anxious, she suddenly caught sight of the nameplate for Class 2 next door. Inspired, she rushed over, found the nameplate with 'Charlotte Montiel' written on it, and swapped it with the one next to 'William Ryan'.
"?"
"You have to help me divert some of the attention!"
As William looked on in confusion, Melanie took out her plump little pouch and waved it in front of his eyes. Then, she pointed and commanded:
"If I'm the only one causing trouble, Anna will definitely punish me more severely. We need to distract her... William! If you still want to borrow my allowance, then later, you must ask Charlotte's parents directly if she's willing to marry you!"
(End of Chapter)
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