The afternoon sun was so brutal it could peel a layer of skin off people.
When Ashley finally stopped the car crookedly, Ethan had already rushed into the convenience store and came out with a pile of ice cream bars. The condensation on the plastic packaging dripped down and evaporated instantly on the hot cement.
"It's so hot!" When Ashley took the ice cream, her bangs were stuck to her forehead.
She and Sarah hurriedly said goodbye, saying they'd rush back to wash away the stickiness.
Under the shade of the trees, Ethan and Jack held ice cream sticks in their mouths, watching ants carry cookie crumbs at their feet.
Jack suddenly spoke. "According to my previous grades, me getting into a four-year university would've been like winning the lottery..."
He licked the cream that melted onto his fingers. "But this time I feel like I'm solid for a good school, maybe even touching a top 50. If my parents find out I got into a good university, they'll probably wake up laughing."
Jack said this and turned to look at Ethan. "Dude, if it weren't for you, my grades wouldn't have improved this much. I... Ethan, what are you doing? Going home? Hey, hey, hey! I'm not on yet!"
Ethan suddenly twisted the throttle, and the electric scooter shot out two meters. The rearview mirror reflected Jack's silhouette gesticulating wildly—this guy was more dramatic than a soap opera.
"Dude! Wait for me!" Jack ran wildly to chase the scooter, like a husky being walked.
When he finally jumped into the back seat, the cursing didn't stop. "You asshole! I dropped my ice cream!"
He almost bit his tongue going over a speed bump.
It wasn't until the sign of the 7-Eleven came into view that this one-sided cursing war came to an end.
Jack had cursed so much his throat was dry, and the back of his T-shirt was soaked when he jumped off.
The first thing Jack did when he got off was pull out the scooter key and twirl it twice proudly at his fingertips. "Ha! Now let's see you try to ditch me!"
He downed more than half a bottle of ice water, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Seriously though, what school and major should I apply for?"
"The results aren't even out yet. Why are you in such a rush?" The can made a slight crunching sound in Ethan's fingers.
"I'm just preparing in advance! So which major's better to choose?" Jack took another sip of water.
Ethan rested his chin on his hand. "My suggestion is for you to apply for an IT major!"
"IT? Why?" Jack looked puzzled.
Ethan reached out and flicked the mineral water bottle in his hand, making a crisp "ding" sound. "I want to start a company! I need your help."
Jack was stunned for three seconds, then suddenly threw the empty bottle into the trash can with perfect accuracy. "Done! IT it is!"
He didn't even ask about the major's prospects, as if he was deciding whether to eat ramen or get takeout tonight.
Ethan looked at his friend and felt warmth in his chest.
Just because of that one sentence, he could make a choice without hesitation.
He remembered that when his startup failed in his previous life, it was this guy who'd loaned him $30,000 without saying a word. That kind of unreserved trust still warmed his heart even in this second life.
In the days that followed, learning to drive became the top priority of the foursome.
In the blink of an eye, it was June 13th.
As soon as the afternoon training was over, they couldn't wait to discuss the evening arrangements—the BBQ joint had already been reserved, and they were waiting to watch the World Cup opener together at 4 AM.
After dinner, Ethan returned to his room and turned on the computer as usual.
He opened Chrome, skillfully found Twitter (it was bought by a billionaire in later years and changed to X), and logged in with practiced ease.
The silence of late night was best for enjoying the "scenery" on Twitter.
As soon as the login success notification chimed, several update notifications popped up on the homepage.
Those influencers he'd been following for a long time had really shared some heartwarming "beautiful scenery."
Ethan scrolled the mouse wheel, and "landscape pictures" slowly unfolded on the screen: some were walking on the beach in swimwear, some were showing flexibility on yoga mats, and some were taking selfies in front of mirrors... Each photo was exquisitely composed with just the right lighting and angles.
As soon as Ethan switched to the Instagram interface, message notifications came like a tide. More than a dozen unread messages were displayed next to Sophia's avatar.
"May the Goddess of Wisdom be with you~"
"I wish you admission to the university of your choice."
"Today is exam time for you! How did you do!"
The further down he scrolled, the more urgent the tone became.
The latest ones even complained coquettishly. "Dear Ethan, will you forget me after the exam?" The pouty emoji at the end of the message vividly revealed the pouting appearance of the blonde girl on the other side of the ocean.
"It's been several days since the exams ended, why haven't you been online yet?"
"You won't really forget me! Dear Ethan?"
Ethan quickly tapped the keyboard and replied. "I'm sorry Sophia, after the SATs, I went straight to driving school."
As soon as the message was sent, the top of the chat box immediately displayed "Sophia is typing..."
Sophia replied instantly. "I see! How did you do on the exam?" This was followed by three twinkling star-eye emojis.
The corners of Ethan's mouth raised slightly. "Best in the country, believe it or not?"
"Oh my God! Really? Dear Ethan, you are so powerful! Do you want to come to England? If you come to Cambridge, you can stay at my house~" Sophia sent a series of exclamation marks, with a picture of a British Shorthair cat basking in the sun in her garden.
Ethan almost choked on his water—this curveball was hit harder than the World Cup opener. Good God, directly inviting him to live together? European girls are forward...
He wiped the water stains off the screen and replied. "The results haven't been announced yet. But it should be no problem getting into a top university in the US."
Then he added. "I have no plans to study abroad."
"Okay~" Sophia sent a pouting emoji.
Then she added another note. "Our internet is starting to lag, and the whole apartment is waiting to watch the World Cup in Brazil."
"Same! My internet isn't great either, and lots of people are preparing to watch this year's World Cup in Brazil."
[Picture].jpg"
A photo suddenly popped up in the chat box—Sophia was wearing Argentina's number 10 jersey, with blonde hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. The fitted jersey outlined her proud curves, and the balcony behind her showed Cambridge's iconic Gothic architecture.
"By the way, do you sports bet?" Ethan suddenly thought of something, his fingers tapping on the keyboard.
"Never~ Those bookmakers are the most cunning," Sophia replied quickly.
Ethan couldn't help but laugh. "What a shame not to play around with a feast like the World Cup?"
He deliberately paused for a few seconds before continuing to type. "Since you're an Argentina fan... I suggest you bet on Germany to win 7-1 against Brazil when Brazil plays Germany."
"???"
Sophia stared at the screen, her blue eyes full of confusion.
Brazil losing to Germany by six goals? This prediction was absolutely insane.
She was about to ask, but found that Ethan's avatar had turned gray.
"Hmph, mysterious..." Sophia muttered, but she opened a betting website almost instinctively. The cursor hovered at 7-1 for a long time, and finally she bit her lower lip and entered £100.
"Just buying it as a joke..." she said to herself, completely unaware of what kind of windfall this joke would turn into a few days later.
There are 40 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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