Chapter 45: RESULT DAY.
Just a day ago, Xu Lingwei had stood alone in the quiet studio, in the morning, light spilling through the high windows like golden threads. The phone was pressed to his ear, his father's voice harsh and unrelenting.
"You're coming back. That place was never meant for you."
He clenched his jaw but said nothing.
"I'll speak to the headmaster myself."
"But I don't want to!" he snapped, his voice sharp, desperate.
There was a pause on the other end. Then came the sigh—cold, disappointed, familiar.
"Enough of your nonsense, Lingwei. I know exactly what you're doing over there. Instead of focusing on your studies, you keep wasting your time practicing something you're not even good at."
That hit hard. His hand curled into a fist by his side.
"Don't say that."
"Why not?" his father challenged. "You fought with us to be there, but for what? You knew we didn't approve. You knew we only ever wanted what was best for you."
Xu Lingwei's voice cracked as he raised it again. "How do you even know what I'm capable of? You've never given me the chance to prove anything!"