"Mr. Hawthorne, aren’t you planting soybeans today?" Tang Xiaonan asked with a grin.

She remembered Adrian Hawthorne saying he was going to stay home and plant soybeans today.

"The ground is too wet to hoe. I’ll plant them when it dries out." Adrian Hawthorne couldn’t resist tugging on Tang Xiaonan’s braid. It had practically become a reflex lately; whenever he saw the chubby girl, he felt the urge to give it a pull. ’It’s surprisingly fun.’

Tang Xiaonan huffily turned her head away and rolled her eyes. ’He’s just like Jim Thorne and his brothers, always pulling my hair or pinching my cheeks. It’s so annoying!’

The corner of Adrian Hawthorne’s mouth twitched into a smirk, and he gave her braid another tug. Seeing that she was about to get genuinely angry, he finally relented, picking Tang Xiaonan up and setting her on the bicycle’s crossbar. "I’ll take you to school. It’s on my way."

The way to Vessaria passed through Xavier Village. It was a quick ride of several miles. Tang Xiaonan sat obediently on the crossbar. When Jim Thorne came over, wanting to ride the bike himself, Adrian Hawthorne stopped him. "I’ll ride. You sit on the back."

He was taller and stronger now; carrying three people was no problem at all.

Jim Thorne’s face immediately darkened. "This is my family’s bike."

"I paid to rent it, so right now, it’s mine."

With that one sentence, Adrian Hawthorne shut Jim Thorne down. He then picked up Amanda Chapman, placed her on the front as well, and hopped on the bike to leave, not bothering to wait for Jim Thorne.

The back rack suddenly dipped as Jim Thorne jumped on. His face was thunderous, and he was seething with anger. Adrian Hawthorne let out a soft snort. He was in an excellent mood and pedaled effortlessly, picking up speed.

Along the way, they ran into Jacqueline Spann. She was walking with her cousin, Levi Golding. Levi was also one of Phoenix Golding’s nephews, a month younger than Jacqueline. He was the son of Phoenix Golding’s younger brother, Linden Golding; Wade Golding was the elder son.

Ulysses Spann never had to walk to school, as Phoenix Golding would take him on her bicycle. She treasured her son like a precious jewel, much like Phoebe Huxley doted on Tang Xiaonan. Toward her own daughter, Jacqueline, however, she was neglectful and even a little disgusted.

A bicycle sped past them—it was Adrian Hawthorne, Tang Xiaonan, and the others. Levi Golding was extremely envious and muttered to himself, "Did that jinx Adrian get a job at a photo studio? He’s at home developing photos all day."

Jacqueline Spann’s heart skipped a beat. She asked urgently, "How do you know he’s developing photos at home?"

"Last time that jinx Adrian fell off his bike, photos scattered all over the ground. There were several hundred of them, all brand new. He must have found a job at a photo studio," Levi Golding said with a look of envy.

’If only I could work at a photo studio,’ he thought. ’I could get my picture taken every day. How great would that be!’

Jacqueline Spann’s heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest. ’So that’s how Adrian Hawthorne is making his money! He must be selling movie stills in the city, just like the newspapers described—selling them right outside the movie theater. Business must be booming, otherwise Rosalind Green would never be able to afford sandalwood soap.’

A sharp pain shot through her heart, and a stifling feeling welled up in her chest. Jacqueline Spann gritted her teeth. ’That was my idea, but Adrian Hawthorne beat me to it! That money should have been mine.’

’No wonder Adrian Hawthorne had been ignoring her lately and even told Grandpa Tate to stop tutoring her. It wasn’t because she’d done something wrong; it was because he wanted to keep his distance, to keep her from finding out about the movie stills.’

’And to think she’d spent the last few days wracking her brain over what she might have done wrong. Hah... It wasn’t her fault. People were just treacherous.’

Still, Jacqueline Spann couldn’t figure it out. How did Adrian Hawthorne learn that he could make money selling movie stills?

Then she recalled the time Adrian Hawthorne had gone to Wraven with Tang Xiaonan and the others. It was right after he returned from Wraven that he started going into the city frequently, and his attitude toward her had changed drastically.

’He must have gotten the idea that time in Wraven.’

Jacqueline Spann bit her lip so hard it bled. The pain in her heart felt sharper than a knife’s blade. But she quickly pulled herself together. ’There must be other ways to make money,’ she thought. ’And since Adrian Hawthorne was the one who wronged me first, he can’t blame me for being ruthless in return!’