Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO-Chapter 730 - 461: Today the CEO Brother Made Chicken Soup for the Beauty [Third Update]

Chapter 730: Chapter 461: Today the CEO Brother Made Chicken Soup for the Beauty [Third Update]

The night deepens, and the lights are sparse.

Marcus Shaw stands under a tree outside the community gate, with earphones plugged in. The white earphone cable winds its way into his pocket. He has one hand in his pocket, the other holding a bag of fruit, eyes drooping with exhaustion, feeling a bit sleepy.

"Bro."

A clear voice pierces through the deep and mellow English listening exercise, reaching Marcus’s ears.

Marcus looks up, takes off his earphones, and sees Oliver, Nora Scott, and Pedro Langley walking out from the gate.

Not even a few hours have passed, and Oliver waves at him as foolishly as ever.

As they approach, Nora Scott glances at Marcus and asks, "Did you get everyone home?"

"Yeah."

Marcus nods.

He had already walked into the subway and was waiting for the train when Nora called him, making him watch as the subway doors opened only for him to turn back.

She said it was an "urgent matter," but the three of them seemed leisurely, without a hint of urgency.

Impressive.

Nora tilts her head and gestures towards Pedro Langley’s car parked at the school gate, "Let’s go."

Marcus: "..." If there was really an urgent matter, Nora wouldn’t have this attitude.

He puts the earphones back on and listens to his practice, trailing silently behind them.

While walking through the underground passage, Oliver sidles up to Marcus, casually snatches one of Marcus’s earphones, listens, and his expression turns somewhat subtle, "When you lay sprawled over your desk in English class, were you really listening to practice exercises?"

"Yeah."

Marcus snatches the earphone back.

Oliver lowers his head, murmuring with a hint of heartache, "We who are academic gods really can’t understand your efforts—"

That’s going too far!

Marcus gives him a sideways glance, warning coldly, "Don’t go home and start on test papers."

Laughing, Oliver scratches the tip of his nose and says, "You academic achievers work on four sheets; we academic gods work on two sheets."

"..."

Marcus chooses not to respond.

Since his hand healed, Oliver has been tackling piles of papers, determined to make up for the month he lost. It’s strange; he proudly holds the position of being last, yet he seems quite pleased with himself.

Up ahead.

Nora turns her head back, frowning as she asks Pedro Langley, "Did I hear the word ’papers’ during the summer break?"

Pedro looks at her sympathetically, takes her hand, and says earnestly, "They’ll be in their final year in a few days."

"..."

What a suffocating year.

"In my final year, my mentor made me a study plan," Nora leans slightly closer to Pedro and lowers her voice, "She ran around all day skipping classes, the only thing she remembered was to check my homework every weekend. I hardly attended classes in my first two years of high school, so I had to start from scratch, and the papers were ridiculously numerous."

"Psychological shadow?"

"Psychological shadow," Nora shudders at the memory, muttering, "Good thing high school knowledge is simple; otherwise, I’d have died at her hands."

Pedro chuckles softly, "You’re just smart."

"Being smart is the enemy of effort," Nora grimaces playfully, "Our few moments of genuine effort in life have all been dismissed as ’smartness’ and ’talent.’ Who knows that we sometimes stayed late and worked extra hard?"

"Yes. In your view, every effort is worth remembering."

Pedro agrees with mock seriousness.

"Your tone is off—" Nora glares at him, "Are you mocking me?"

Pedro feigns calmness, "You figured it out already?"

Nora pinches his waist exasperatedly.

A moment later, Nora says again, "Teasing aside, we really hate being labeled as ’smart’ and ’talented.’ It’s as if being excellent is expected, and anything less means we’re not trying. It’s like everyone relishes throwing a few comments at us."

"We?"

"Me, Joseph Sutton, and Michael Quinn," Nora clarifies, "Joseph started becoming naturally top of the class in middle school; in elementary, we all handed in blank papers together."

"Is that why you’ve been rebellious all your life?"

"Sort of, I’ve always had a rebellious streak," Nora nods, gesturing to the two boys behind her, "Both are smart, both have their own talents, and both work harder than anyone else, not sleeping until past 1 or 2 AM. People see them as top of the class, school, and city, but who sees them grinding problems until the wee hours?"

Pedro understands her, not just as a sister but feeling sorry for her two brothers.

But he doesn’t say anything more, just smiles softly and murmurs, "You."

Nora pauses.

"I know you think it’s okay not to be number one." Pedro grips her hand, the smile on his lips deepening, "But we top students do like to achieve the best."