Chapter 15

"Tiffy, how did it go with Micah last night?" As soon as Tiffany came downstairs, Grannie Blake came up to her with a face full of curiosity. Her eyes kept darting to her body, careful not to miss any signs of male-female relations. Before Tiffany had the chance to speak, Micah came down. He had dark eye bags. He probably did not rest well last night. "Grandma, I have something to say to you." As soon as Grannie Blake saw the look on her grandson's face, she knew that last night had been a failure. She trailed behind Micah to the study like a child who had made a mistake. They entered the study, and the old lady sat on the sofa. Looking across at her grandson who, looked tired and disappointed, she felt a vague sense of regret. "Micah, I was doing this for your own good." "I know." Micah rubbed his brows. "But grandma, you didn’t ask me. "Do my wishes matter to you at all? I've already promised you I’ll divorce her after a year, so why did you still plot against me?" A wave of stubbornness peeked out from his eyes, and his emotions nearly boiled over, but they were all eventually suppressed by reason. He suddenly lost interest in the old lady's answer. That was because he already knew everything she was going to say next. She would no doubt say that she did it for his own good, and she would throw in a few compliments for Tiffany before finally advising him to accept her. He was beyond sick of hearing these lame clichés. "Since you like her so much, take her away with you. There's a villa in Star Bay. It has a peaceful environment that’s made for the elderly. You can take her there in a bit to live with you." He was driving them away like he did with Sara. He wanted to remove a relative whom he had looked up to all his life and his new wife from his territory altogether. The old lady said in a shaky voice, "Are you kicking me out?" "Grandma, you were the one who betrayed me first." "I'm not leaving." The old woman threw her cane on the ground. "I know what I did was wrong, but I only did it for your own good. "Tiffy is a good child. Although she doesn't come from much, she has a good heart and is religious. She’ll make a good wife. In the future, when I’m no longer around, I can depart peacefully knowing you have someone by your side who can care for you in every way. "Micah, I know you have great aspirations and you like that Gardner girl. But do you know what the Gardners said to me when you first fell sick and they were the first people I looked for? "They humiliated you and refused to honor the engagement. Even if your love is stronger than gold, I’ll never let you marry a woman from a family like that. "Now that you've married Tiffany, you should fulfill your duty to her as her husband. Don’t be like those men out there who blow hot and cold and keep mistresses and second wives. If you do such a thing, I’ll knock myself dead in front of you." Micah got so angry that he laughed. He had not chosen to marry Tiffany, yet now he was being threatened over her. That said, if it was anyone else, he would have sent them to their death immediately. Grannie Blake got so worked up that she fainted on the sofa. Micah's eyes glazed over slightly, and after calmly going up to confirm she was not acting, he asked Tiffany to come up and check on her. "Grandma's blood pressure is high, and her extreme emotions caused her to faint. You’d better not trigger her anymore, lest something bad really happens." Micah looked at her bright eyes, and a wave of anger rose up in his heart. "It's all because of you." Tiffany did not feel guilty at all. "Actually, this happened because you’re too rigid. "If you just accepted me, would any of these things have happened?" There were stars in her eyes, and it was as if she was saying ‘accept me’ like a baby deer. Micah thought to himself, ‘How can a girl be so forward? Doesn’t she know shame?’ He had forgotten that the number of women who had thrown themselves at him was as high as fish in a river. Handling them over the years had been more trouble than Fred could bear. Now that his grandma had fainted, Micah could hardly bring up the matter of moving out again. Afraid of stressing her out again, he took his suit jacket and went off to work. When Grannie Blake came to and found out Micah had not had her bags packed, she clapped her hands in joy. She knew that her grandson’s tough exterior belied a soft heart and that he would never throw her out. However, when Micah did not come back for the next few days, the look on her face changed. It was only when she asked that she found out Micah had gone on a business trip. He would only be back in a month’s time. … It was now September. September marked the start of a new semester. As a sophomore at the University of Medicine, this was only the first time Tiffany had stepped foot on campus. Tiffany was wearing a black and white tracksuit. She was carrying a small black bag as she followed the GPS on her phone to find the academic block. By the time York found her, she was already lost. After taking one look at the GPS and her bashful face, he mentally labeled her ‘directionally challenged’. As today was the first day of school, York handed her over to Linus Clarkson, a sophomore tutor from the pharmacy school. Linus, a refined middle-aged man, brought her in and introduced her to the whole class. Tiffany gave a brief self-introduction and went to sit next to Jessie. Jessie gritted her teeth. "Why are you here?" She had done some research on Tiffany. It took her two years to pass the university admission test, and she only managed to enroll at the age of 20. She should be in freshman year now. How did she appear in a sophomore classroom, and the exact one she was in no less? Tiffany grinned. "Studying pharmacy." Jessie was about to hit back with a few lines when the tutor began sampling the assignments set at the end of last semester. Studying pharmacy tested one’s memory skills the most. The students had to study tedious books on pharmacology most of the time. The books were thick, and the contents had to be memorized. As the class monitor and an honors student, Jessie was the first to be questioned. She answered the questions quickly and fluently, which earned her applause and looks of admiration. Linus called on Tiffany. "Tell us about the effects and uses of Saint John’s wort." "It drains excess water and expels liquids. It also reduces swelling and disperses lumps..." Her cold, clear voice rang out in the classroom. Her face looked serene, and her tone was calm as she listed the effects and uses of Saint John’s wort. Everyone was curious about this new student and could not help but whip out Google to verify her answers. They admired her when they realized that every word she said was right. She had an impressive memory. Linus asked a few more questions about herbs, and Tiffany was able to answer them all, altering his prejudice against her. When he first saw that Tiffany had skipped a grade, he had a bad impression of her. He thought that since she skipped grades for fun and did not take her studies seriously, she must have gotten into the university via under-the-table methods. Now, he could see that she was actually smart. Following that, he asked some questions that were covered under the freshman curriculum. Tiffany said, "Teacher, I don't know this one." The class was astonished. What the tutor had asked was the easiest question from freshman year, and even the lowest-ranked student knew the answer. Tiffany’s face was not red, nor did her heart beat rapidly. "I didn't study freshman year." The initially quiet class became lively all of a sudden as everyone exchanged whispers. Linus had to give everyone a scolding before they quieted down. He told Tiffany to sit down and assigned homework for the new semester. "This semester, I’ll be working on a new drug with the research team, so I'll be busy. If there’s anything, bring it up with your monitor. You can ask her if you have any questions." Jessie spoke in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, sir. I’ll definitely supervise everyone to ensure they all study well.” A day of classes came to an end. Tiffany hid among her classmates and followed everyone toward the school entrance. This way, she would not get lost. "Tiffany." Jessie tugged and dragged her to the woods nearby. "How do you know all that?" It was impossible. How could she have been exposed to medicine in that part of the countryside? "I've known all that since I was ten." She pointed her toes toward the ground. "Jessie Young, it must have taken you a lot of effort to memorize all that, huh? Not bad." Jessie said proudly, "It didn't take that much. I have a good memory, so it doesn’t take much for me to remember.” Tiffany praised her, "That's impressive." "Why, of course. I’m a fast learner." "I remember you used to dream of becoming a star and having all eyes on you, though. So why are you studying medicine now?" Jessie was particularly vain, and she had been in awe of the stars she had see onscreen since she was a child. She took special classes for dancing and music simply because she dreamed of stardom. However, now she was studying medicine instead. Jessie’s face turned a little pale. Tiffany snorted lightly. "To put it bluntly, you're just a stand-in for me."